Trials and Tribulations
by SarissaDiablo
Summary: AU - "Raising kids is part joy and part guerilla warfare." - Ed Asner A story in which Loki learns the joy of being a parent, the heartbreak, and the lengths a father will go to protect his son.
1. Introduction

**Notes at the bottom.**

**~Introduction~**

**November, 1999**

Loki hummed a bit as he stepped foot on Midgard, his feet not hesitating once as the portal closed behind him without sound. He did look over his shoulder to make sure that the tree he had emerged from was once again normal, then turned back when it was. His clothing shifted as he continued his way through the woods, turning from Asgardian casual, to human. Black jeans with a dark grey sweatshirt, a hunter green scarf wrapped around his neck. He manifested himself gloves, since winter in the northern United States was always a bit nippy. He spent a few moments breathing in the air and reacquainting himself with the flow of energy on this world, as his boots crunched in the thin crust of snow.

It had always been a pleasant shock to his system coming here. Even the energy of the giant redwoods he was surrounded by were bursting with the hot rush of _life_, unlike the stagnancy of Asgard. He smiled slightly and paused, closing his eyes as he inhaled the rich, crisp air. Feeling nothing around him for miles, he gathered his own energy, and teleported.

He appeared in the small apartment that he rented for himself whenever he was in New York. He took his wallet from a spell sealed safe, the keys, and was out the door.

His first stop was a small café down the street, that used a distinct espresso that he hadn't been able to find anywhere else. Then he took to wandering as he left a generous tip, smirking against the rim of his cup when the young cashier gaped at him stupidly.

He took in the ever changing sights and sounds, letting it relax him and take him away from the day to day drama that was Asgard.

His brother was going to be crowned king soon, within a decade he reasoned. Bitterness twisted his insides at the thought, anger flaring the more he thought on his brother. Thor was a spoiled, loud, stupid man, who didn't have the smarts to rule Asgard. He would be a better choice, if only Odin would see it. Frigga often commented on how much Thor could learn from him, but the oaf refused to take advice from his _weaker_ sibling.

He snorted into his cup, smiling slightly at a woman who gave him an appraising look before moving on. Thor had no clue how much strength it took to use sorcery; to bend and shape it to his will without the use of incantations or hand gestures. Unlike those ridiculous people that called themselves sorcerers, he had actually taken the time to sit down and study it in depth, to actually learn how it works and flows. No one else could claim that feat.

With a mental groan he shoved the thoughts aside, sitting on a bench in Time Square. He came to Midgard to forget his problems in Asgard, not to think more about them. He finished his coffee as dusk fell upon the city, and snow began to fall again. He stood and threw the cup away, wandering over to a news vendor and bought the day's paper, deciding to catch up on what he had missed since he had last been here.

Tony Stark was still making weapons and being a drunk, genius playboy, something that he hadn't expected to change. He hummed to himself and flipped a page. Stark Industries had come a long way from when Howard Stark was at its helm, even though it was still primarily a weapons company.

He read about the advancements of science and only briefly glanced over the politics and entertainment sections. Smiling slightly at the older man that sold him the paper, he slipped him a 100 dollar bill, and walked away quickly before he had time to say anything. He got some food, and stayed in the small diner until well past midnight, nursing cups of cappuccino. The night life of Time Square always fascinated him, and as the night grew darker and colder, he amused himself with thinking up random stories of the people he saw.

It was around 3:30 am, when even the Square was quiet and only a few people were out and about that he left, leaving a generous tip. Despite what his family thought of Midgard, he admired the mortals and their everyday struggle to make ends meet. They only had a short time to live, and they usually tried to make the best of it. He was envious of them too. They lived everyday as though it was their last, while he had infinite days to look forward to. Infinite days of being talked down to, to being regulated to the shadows, to always being second best-

A short scream snapped him out of his dark thoughts, and he frowned as he looked down an alley he was passing. A hiccupping sob hit his ears, from a boy, probably no older than eight. For a moment he fought with himself as to whether he should interfere, but then a quiet 'Please stop,' decided it for him.

He strode down the alley and turned the corner, sorcery already flitting around his gloved fingers, and any thought of speaking went out the window at what he saw.

The two men were dead before they even got a chance to pull their pants up, dropping to the ground with a bolt of electricity to their hearts. Face first on the ground was a child – he had been _right_, damnit, he looked 5 or 6 – sobbing into the dirty snow as hot blood ran freely down his legs.

Swallowing a snarl of disgust and rage, he carefully schooled his features and knelt down next to the boy, reaching out to heal him on instinct. He sighed and winced when the child scooted away, trying to yank up his pants with one hand, odd yellow eyes bright with fear behind lanky red hair.

"Shh, I'm not going to hurt you," he said soothingly, holding out a hand with what he hoped was a calming smile. His heart was twisting inside him. Some may call him heartless, but he hated it when harm came to a child. However, after a long moment of the boy just staring at him, he lost what bit of patience he had and stood. "If that's how you want it then."

He turned away and took one step, then nearly crashed into the wall as desperate arms wrapped around his legs. He looked down, and the boy had his face pressed into the back of one knee, arms shaking as they held onto his legs with fierce intensity. With another inaudible sigh, he gently extracted the child but didn't let go of him, instead lifted him into his arms. He winced with sympathy as the child gave a small cry at the movement, but it was nothing to hold him with one arm and fully pull the boys pants up with the other.

With a quick look around he conjured a coat for the boy and draped it over him, and then set off with purposeful strides out of the alley. "Where are your parents child?"

"I…sent me here."

He almost tripped at that, stopping and looking down with something like astonishment. "Where are you from?"

"Ireland." That explained the accent then.

"Where are _they_?"

"…still there…" The voice grew to a whisper, and Loki actually had to fight with himself not to demand an address. He grinned mentally, uncaring how unhinged it looked to even him, as he started walking again. He might do that anyway, at a later date.

He walked and silently fumed, quickly heading through deserted side streets. He was almost at the apartment building when the child spoke up again.

"Um, where are we?"

Loki huffed, using a quick bit of sorcery to open the door and began up the stairs. "My apartment."

"Oh."

He hated how light the boy was. He felt as though all it would take is Loki to tighten his hold, and he'd break like a mirror hitting the floor.

Finally they were in his apartment, and he took the boy directly to the bathroom. He could already feel the front of his shirt soaked in blood, and knew the boy would want to take a shower after being healed. He set him in the bathtub, taking hold of the thin chin and making him look up.

"I'll be right back. I'm only going to change clothes." He waited until the boy nodded and stood, turning quickly so he wouldn't see the large red stain. He waited until he was out of sight before vanishing them and conjuring new ones.

Suddenly there was sorcery in the air, foreign, unlike anything he had ever felt before. He immediately conjured a skintight shield around himself, walking backwards towards the bathroom as he continuously scanned the apartment, sending his own power out to try and find the source. When he did, he whipped around and froze.

The boy was sitting in the tub with his knees clenched tightly to his chest, breathing far too heavily and fast, pupils blown wide. Completely untrained sorcery was snapping around him like a live beast, and Loki was glad of his own shield as he walked in. It tried to bite him, warning him off, but he would have none of it. He knelt down next to the tub, and grabbed the boys shoulders harshly, shaking him.

"Snap out of it child!" he growled, and felt relief when those eyes snapped to him. He barely had a moment to thicken his shield when a blast of pure power caught him and sent him into the wall, doing no damage to him. He lowered his arms, glaring, but the child was staring at him with a look of horror, fear, and shame. His glare immediately melted away to nothing.

"I-I'm s-s-so s-sorry!" he stammered, as Loki calmly picked himself out of the rubble. With a wave of his hand he cleaned off the dust and plaster, and repaired the wall. He couldn't help a smug smirk when the boys eyes widened. "You're…you're magic too?"

"I am," he admitted with a bit of pride, going over and kneeling once again next to the tub. Then he looked into the amber eyes and grew serious. He hadn't seen the color clear in the darkness, but now he saw the signs. Vibrant, unnaturally colored eyes were a mark of a sorcerer. Even the incompetents on Asgard had brighter eyes then the normal populace.

"And so are you. That is why you are here, is it not?" It wasn't really a question, and he didn't need the answering flinch to know it was true. He had his own experiences with budding sorcery.

He hummed softly. "Do you trust me enough to allow me to heal you?"

The boy didn't say anything, but gritted his teeth and nodded. Loki didn't ask again, knowing from the growing panic that this would be his only chance. He slowly sank his sorcery into the child's skin, and winced mentally when it came in contact with the boys own sorcery. At least now he knew what he was dealing with. A mortal that held sorcery like his own. He waited calmly until it accepted that he meant no harm, and finally began to heal what damaged the boy.

"What's your name child?" he asked quietly, as a way to distract him from the sensation of being put back together.

"Arawn."

Loki waited, and frowned. "Do you have no surname, Arawn?" The way he'd pronounced it – A-rahn – was pure Irish. And the name was so familiar…

"…no."

"Did you have no father then?" The boy turned his head away, looking at the far wall. Loki was done healing him, so he removed his hands and placed them on his lap.

"Had a dad," he finally said, voice rougher then before. "And a mom, and family aye, but these stupid eyes and stupid magic are wrong!"

"And what is wrong with your eyes, pray tell?" he asked, a bit amused, a bit bitterly. He only smiled a bit wider when the boy glared at him, amber eyes fierce. He could tell now that they were truly amber, only a few shades darker then yellow, with the faintest flecks of hazel. His smile fell as he leaned forward, deliberately opening his eyes a bit more so the boy could take in the bright, unnatural green of his own eyes.

"They're stupid! Just like yours!"

Loki knew the boy was only lashing out, so held back the sharp retort on his own lips. Instead, a sigh escaped like a hiss. "They are a sign of sorcery child, having eyes like we do. That does not make them _stupid_." He growled the last word, clearly showing his disgust of it. He had heard enough of that while on Asgard. He would not hear it in this realm.

Arawn flinched slightly, but didn't back down. "Magic is bad too! That's why they sent me here, so I won't hurt anyone again!" His eyes widened, and quickly looked away. He hadn't meant to say that.

"Who did you hurt young one?" Loki asked quietly, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"Um…no one," he returned petulantly, glaring down at the bottom of the tub.

Loki sighed _again_, and finally stood. "Take a shower, and I will retrieve some clean clothing for you. Then bed."

Without waiting for the boy to respond, he stood and swept out of the room, closing the door behind him. He waited until he heard the clothes hit the floor with the grumbling and the shower start, before walking to the kitchen and conjuring some clothes that would fit. Then he went about making some hot tea. By the time it was done, the shower still wasn't off, and he could admit to himself that he was slightly worried. He had been with countless rape victims afterwards, and knew that they felt they could never get clean enough.

People were always willing to pay the price of his power.

With a frown he opened the bathroom door, and was hit with a wall of steam. With another annoyed sigh he waved his hand, smirking at the yelp when the water turned freezing. He walked in and slid the curtain open, forcing yet _another_ sigh down at the boiled red color of the boys skin. Instead he growled slightly. It was a simple touch and a flash of sorcery that healed the burned skin, and then he all but dragged the boy out of the shower, ignoring the sputtering that he got. He gave Arawn the clothes, fixing him with a stern look.

"Put these on and then come to the kitchen. I have tea made." He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the boy as he grumbled and put the clothing on, then smirked when he got an annoyed, challenging look in return.

They went to the kitchen and Loki poured the tea, wondering what he was going to do with the child. He didn't want to leave him here, not without someone to look after him, and had heard enough about the child services of Midgard to refuse to leave Arawn in their care. Not with his ability to perform sorcery. Yet if he took him to Asgard…he sighed, and Arawn gave him a curious look.

He decided to elaborate. No one would believe him anyway if he stayed in the realm. "Have you any knowledge of the Norse legends?"

"You mean, like Thor, Odin, and all of that?"

"Yes."

"Well, just what I learned in school, that's it."

"Do not believe everything that school tell you, Arawn," he began, pouring himself another cup of tea, and one for the boy when the cup was held out. "Most of the stories are not true. However, I can tell you that the Nine Realms does indeed exist. I am from Asgard, and my name is Loki."

The amber eyes went wide. "The god Loki? The Trickster?"

His lips twitched into a smirk. He so loved having his ego stroked. "Yes, that one. I often come to Midgard to get away from Asgard and my oaf of a brother. What concerns me now, is what I am going to do with you."

"Take me with you."

Loki narrowed his eyes in surprise at the breathed words. "You would not want to stay here? This _is_ your home."

"This is _not_ my home! Not anymore!" The young voice cracked on the last word, and Loki found himself staring into desperate, almost panicked eyes.

And just like that, seeing the pure emotion there, he made his decision.

That was a look he had seen all too often in a mirror.

"We will stay here a few more days, and then go. It will give me time to acquaint you with what my home is like." He stood, and gave the stunned child a small smile. "Now, it is time for bed."

He went without argument.

* * *

A/N: So, first things first. Like the tags say, this will be a FrostIron, I've already got it planned out.

Secondly - this idea came about when a plotpuppy barreled into my thoughts, barking "What if he was being blackmailed into attacking Earth?" Then the plot came, and this was written.

Thirdly - In this AU world, the Norse mythology is just that, myths. Loki was married yes, but has no children. This will continue on through Thor and Avengers since they relatively remain the same, with Loki's manipulations and subsequent attack. The motivation is just different.

Also, this will be updated on the 1st of every month, except November. The next chapter will be posted the 1st of December.

Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	2. Family Time

**~Chapter One~**

Several days passed, and then weeks before Loki really began to realize it. It was so very easy for him to slip into the role of teacher once he had a pupil who was eager to learn. It was very frustrating however, since Arawn wasn't a natural to using sorcery as Loki was. It had taken him a week to teach a simple fire spell that he had mastered in a day. It wasn't because Arawn wasn't powerful, it was the exact opposite actually, but a pure mental block that he had put there himself. The boy had grown up thinking that his power was evil, and that he should never touch it, much the same way his own people had treated his power. Loki had refused to listen, where Arawn had soaked it all in.

It was going to be very hard to break that barrier down, but watching the boy now, he knew it wouldn't take very long.

While Loki was a natural, the boy had the tenacity of a fighting dog, and refused to back down from trying to get his sorcery to work for him. Every day he pushed himself to the limit, and every day, Loki was reaffirmed that taking the child under his wing was a good choice. For himself, and Arawn.

It also helped that Arawn was a very fast learner, and a true genius. At least when he came to everything but sorcery. He winced mentally when Arawn's latest try ended in a curse.

"You're breathing to fast," he commented softly, his sorcery a steady green ring around them. He didn't have anyone to protect him from his own sorcery, and he would be damned before he let Arawn enjoy the backlash of untrained power like he had. "You need to keep calm."

"I am calm," the boy ground out, shooting a glare at him before closing his eyes again and starting the exercise all over again.

Loki smirked but said nothing further. It was up to Arawn to figure out how his sorcery worked, since Loki could give him _ways_ to do things, but not _how_. Instead, he split his attention between Arawn and the life that surrounded them.

They were among the giant redwoods, deep in the forest where nothing but animals roamed. He had contemplated – a few times, actually – on conjuring a wild animal to scare Arawn, but had decided against it. The boy didn't do so well with surprises, he had found out. The second time had been rather painful, involving a fried toaster and a dive to the floor.

There was a gasp, and Loki's attention immediately focused as Arawn's sorcery flexed differently than before. For a brief moment, the stones and branches in the circle levitated, before falling back to the ground. The sorcery winked out too. He nodded with a small smile of encouragement.

"Did you feel it? There are two different ways of controlling sorcery. Inwards, like when _you_ create something, and outwards, when you effect something externally."

"Yea…I get it. Wow." His eyes shifted to a rather large stone by his knee, and his eyes narrowed in concentration. There was a brief shine of yellow light in his eyes, and the stone wobbled into the air. Then it dropped and Arawn leaned forward, gasping for air like he had run a marathon. In a way, he had.

Loki couldn't help it, he laughed. The affronted look he got in return only made it deepen. Arawn was red down to his chest by the time he stopped, wiping a small tear from his eye.

"My apologies. It will get easier in time." A single flex of his pupils was all the warning he gave, and the same stone zipped to the middle of the circle. It began to spin around in a tight spiral, drawing dust and debris. It slowly rose up, the circle widening and everything following it, until a small tornado erupted. He snickered and dropped the power as Arawn backed away, feeling a bead of sweat run down the side of his face. "Though it is much harder to move an object, then it is to create one."

Arawn frowned. "That was hard for you too?"

"Yes, though it will be awhile before you have that level of control." He smirked arrogantly at the pout, but acknowledged the fire of challenge with a nod of his head. "You can get there, if you ever want to beat me."

"I can beat you now!" The boy looked sick as soon as the words came out, and even more so when Loki smiled lazily.

"Is that so?" He rose fluidly to his feet, and banished the circle with a wave of his hand. "You can't beat me even if I only use one hand."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Arawn scrambled to his feet though, face burning with indignation.

He only cocked an eyebrow at the outburst. "How is it not?"

"You're like, centuries older then I am!"

His grin was sharp. "We all have to start somewhere. I bet you can't even lay a finger on me."

He was shocked as those eyes filled with tears, the first time he had seen them since that first night. "I don't…"

"Arawn, I-"

He stood shocked as the boy dashed in, pressing a single finger to his stomach and looking up with an impish grin. "So, what do I get?"

"Why you little whelp," he muttered, a grin slowly crossing his face. Moving swiftly, he grabbed him up and started digging his fingers into sensitive sides.

Laughter rang through the trees, two different tones, and both high and free.

**[x][x][x][x][x][x][x][x][x]**

It was several months later as Midgard was turning from winter to spring, that he finally decided Arawn was ready to go to Asgard with him. His training was advancing at a steady pace now, and he was able to use a few defensive and offensive spells. They would serve him well on Asgard, for the times when Loki couldn't be around the boy. That is, if he could convince his family to allow him to stay.

He glanced down at the boy – and he was a boy, only 6. "Are you ready?"

His jaw was set stubbornly, even those his eyes shone with fear and anxiety. "Yea."

So he set up the portal with his one free hand, the other squeezing reassuringly around a smaller one, and they stepped through.

It wasn't a moment later that they emerged into his own chambers inside the palace. He held Arawn as the boy stumbled, smirking when the green faced child made a flying leap for the bathroom. As he got sick, Loki went to a door that led to the chambers next to his, and began to clean. With lazy flicks of his hands the dust was soon gone, new drapes were over the windows, and a new bed. It used to be Sigyn's rooms, but he knew that she would never be back in them.

He smiled over his shoulder when Arawn crossed the threshold.

"BROTHER!"

He flinched as the words bounced through the rooms, and wrapped an arm around slender shoulders as the boy flew at him, clutching his waist. The door to his chambers opened and in walked Thor, a brilliant smile on his face. Loki braced himself as his brother saw him, and then Arawn.

His immediate family were the only ones who knew of his jaunts into the mortal realm, and his brother had taken it upon himself to welcome Loki back whenever his presence was sensed back in the palace. Even if their father had forbidden him to go.

"And who is this brother? A human child?" His voice did get quieter, Loki was glad to hear, as he crouched down to Arawn's height.

"No, it is a horse in disguise." He rolled his eyes when Thor looked at him in surprise, smirking at the muffled snort he got from the boy. "Yes Thor. This is Arawn."

"Good tidings young Arawn! I am Thor, Loki's older brother! Welcome to Asgard! Brother, come, we must go see father and mother. You're back in time for dinner!" He stood and without waiting, swept out of the room.

Loki huffed a sigh and waved a hand, changing his clothes into what the Æsir considered normal. Black leggings with knee high boots, and a soft green pullover. He changed Arawn's as well, except gave him a blue shirt instead. When he looked down, he blinked and sank to his knees in front of the boy, resting his hands on his shoulders.

"I apologize if he upset you," he said quietly, reaching out and wiping a tear away. Arawn shook his head and threw his arms around his neck, hugging tightly.

"I'm scared," he whispered, and Loki sighed. He stood, cradling the still too small frame in his arms.

"There is nothing to be scared of child. If they do not allow you to stay, then we will make our home on Midgard."

He had guessed correctly about where the fear was coming from when he stilled in his arms. "You…you won't just send me back?"

Loki couldn't help but chuckle as he exited their rooms and shut the door with sorcery. He was surprised to see Thor standing there, arms crossed and eyes soft.

"No Arawn," he said quietly, steely, while holding Thor's gaze. "I will not just send you back. I will not leave you alone."

There was a silent staring contest, and Thor was the first to break it. His eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled, voice soft. "I will stand by your side brother. I will not allow them to take such a good influence away from you."

Loki snorted at that, covering the swell of grateful emotion he felt. He hadn't been sure how Thor would react when he came home, but now he was happy his brother was the first he had introduced Arawn to.

"I would be more worried about my influence on him, not the other way around."

That got a laugh from Thor, and a soft giggle from the boy in his arms. "Aye brother, that is true."

Loki only listened with one ear as his brother spoke about things that had happened while he had been gone, smirking in amusement when he got to Sif.

"She is most aggravated with you brother. You'll soon have to change her hair back or risk her blade through your ribs." Thor's grin was wide.

Before he could reply there was a growl from his arms and powerful, but still unstable sorcery flitted over his skin, like a shield. He paused and looked down, and had to smile at the fierce, protective glare Arawn was giving Thor.

"Arawn," he said softly, and the boy looked up at him. "What Thor said was in jest." Mostly. Not really. "Lady Sif is no danger to me." That one was true however. The magic subsided.

"That is very true, young Arawn," Thor added, his voice softer but thick with amusement. "None can match my brother except for me."

"I still come out even in our matches, brother," Loki said with a smirk, beginning to walk again to their parents private chambers. It was a daily occurrence to eat dinner with them, away from the throngs of people seeking an audience. He only hoped it wouldn't turn into a fight. It was a wish that he knew would never be fulfilled.

He sighed as they reached the door, hesitating at the threshold. Arawn sensed it and gave him a quizzical look, but Thor understood. A large hand rested on his shoulder, the blue eyes of his brother understanding.

"Do not worry over it brother," he said softly, and Loki only gave him a scathing, skeptical look as he pushed open the door. They were immediately greeted by their mother.

"Loki, Thor, my sons. And who is this little one?" Loki had to smother a grin as curious amber eyes peeked through the unruly red curls at his mother. She always did have an easy charm about her.

"Mother, father, this is Arawn. He is a human that I saved from two…unsavory characters." He and Thor exchanged a look, and he nodded to the question he saw. Thor's eyes blazed in righteous anger even as his jaw firmed, but he said nothing.

"He is also a powerful sorcerer, just like you my son," Frigga said gently, smiling kindly at the boy. "Now, Arawn, would you like some dinner?"

Arawn immediately began to struggle in his arms, and with a chuckle he set the boy down. He took Frigga's hand as she led them to the table where their father sat, and he followed, unnerved by his father's silence.

Dinner was comprised of Frigga asking Arawn questions, and being properly awed when she asked him to show her some of the things he had been taught. The conversation was lively between four of them, and Loki couldn't help but glance at Odin every now and then. His father was silent the entire time, watching the boy and in turn, his own sons.

Dessert was gone by the time Odin finally said something, and it was the beginning of the fight he had hoped to avoid.

"He cannot stay here my son."

Loki's jaw clenched, but it was Thor who said something first. "He is but a child father! And a powerful sorcerer! His mortality is of no consequence if we give him a golden apple!"

Loki just closed his eyes – brash, stubborn Thor – muttering 'Damn' under his breath, and the two began to argue. Finally, when Arawn began to look truly scared and even his mother was gritting her teeth, he snapped a bolt of power at Thor, causing his brother to shut up immediately. Thor gave him a wounded look, that he only returned levelly. Then he looked at Odin.

"If he cannot stay here, then I will return to Midgard with him. I will not leave him alone again." His words were firm and had no hesitation, because he felt none. He stared straight into Odin's one blue eye, not flinching even when it narrowed in anger.

"You bring a mortal into our home, after deliberately disobeying my orders and going to Midgard. You're pranks have gone too far this time Loki. You are close to committing treason by even thinking of making him Æsir."

His jaw clenched as his anger unfolded, scalding in its coldness. "_Forgive_ me then father, for doing the right thing. I had believed that giving him a family after the other _threw him away_ would be for the best. I see now that I was wrong." He stood then, and held out a hand. Arawn immediately came over and took it, burying his face in the cloth of his shirt.

He tensed when Odin stood, subtly stepping in front of the boy.

"If you do not take him back, I will do it myself, even if I have to go through you my son!"

That did it. He smiled maliciously, feeling his bitterness and anger give way to a sort of rabid protectiveness of the boy clinging to him. His sorcery flared from him, wreathing himself and Arawn in an ethereal emerald light that snapped and hissed like a snake.

"Can you, father? If you lay one finger on him-"

"You won't hurt my dad!"

Loki blinked, head snapping down to look at Arawn. He had stepped in front of Loki, and his own sorcery was pulsing around him, powerful yet unstable, unlike the smooth glide of his emerald.

"Arawn," he whispered, stunned and off kilter at what the boy had called him.

Arawn, however, wasn't listening. His little fists were clenched tightly, and he was glaring at Odin with all his might. It would have been comical if not for the pure destructive power of his sorcery. "You won't hurt him! I won't let you! He saved me, and he taught me, and he did more for me then my real family! Why do you have to be so…so…MEAN?!"

The last words was screamed, and Loki had to throw up a quick shield to contain the blast. Arawn rocked back on his heels, and Loki put a stabilizing hand on his shoulder. The boy didn't go down though, even though sweat was pouring down his face and he looked exhausted. He stayed on his feet and kept glaring at Odin, obviously expecting an answer.

"Do you think of him as your father, boy?" Odin asked quietly, shocking them all. Arawn most of all, because he nearly fell then, frowning in confusion.

"What?"

"Do you think of him as your father?"

"Well...yea. He's my dad. He's been teaching me how to control my sorcery, and cooking me dinner, and taking me to the playground. So…yea." He gave Odin a look that screamed 'No shit.'

Loki strangled a hysterical laugh, calling more of his power to the surface in preparation for Odin to try and take them down. He knew this would just give his father more fuel to tear them apart…

Then Odin surprised them all. He smiled. "Welcome to our family, Arawn Lokison." While everyone stared at him in shock, he stood and walked out of the door.

Loki's knees were threatening to give out, so he let them on the pretense of grabbing the boy and wrapping him up in a tight hug. Arawn returned it immediately. "Do you really see me as your…dad?"

"Yea…is that ok?"

Loki closed his eyes, and almost lost the battle with his tears when he felt Thor's supportive hand on his shoulder, and his mothers on the other.

"Yes Arawn. That is very ok," he whispered, and the hug only tightened.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, I know I said the next update wouldn't be until December, but in honor of Arawn's birthday - which is the 31st of October - I wanted to get this one out. The next chapter will be on the regular updating schedule, on the 1st of December.**

**Also, Happy Halloween everyone! **


	3. Learning Curve

**A/N at bottom.**

* * *

**June 2009**

The next ten years passed as calmly as they could for master and apprentice, father and son. It was strangely…normal. If what they were passed as anything relating to the word.

They actually began to spend their time between the two worlds, when a few months after returning to Asgard, Arawn had shown an interest in mortal schooling.

"_You want to go to school on Midgard?" Loki's voice was thick with disbelief, the book in his hand forgotten as he stared at his son. Secretly, he had known this was coming. He had watched the fight in the boys eyes for the past few weeks, as life there settled around them heavily. "Why would you ever want to?"_

_Arawn just glared at him, and then went back to making a yellow flame dance on the tips of his fingers. "It was fun. And…I want to make friends, like me," he added softly. He wouldn't tell his father that he missed the presence of his own world. He was pretty sure his dad already knew._

_Loki just frowned, and then shrugged as he went back to reading. He had already talked to Odin a few days ago, anticipating that this would happen. His father had regrettably – seeming, at least – admitted that it might be a good idea. "That will be doable. We can spend the school months on Midgard, and come back here for holidays and weekends." Suddenly, he had an armful of smiling child._

"_Really dad? You'd live in Midgard with me?"_

_Loki just smiled indulgently, gripping the boy tighter and pulling him into his lap. He would do anything for this surprisingly bright star in his life, guiding his way, making him into the man he wanted to be, not one people believed him to be. "Of course. You're my son Arawn, and if this is something that you want to do, we will do it. If you're sure."_

_The beaming smile and joyful eyes was all the answer he needed._

And so that was how Loki found himself going to meetings, and having to beat off women with sticks as they came after him like rabid dogs. _("No miss, I do not have a wife. We divorced some years ago. No, I am not interested in a date.")_ They found themselves a modest house that wasn't too far away from the school Arawn picked, with no neighbors for miles. _("Are you sure this is what you want Mr. Hunter?" "Yes, this is perfect.") _It was secluded, which was a stipulation of Loki's when he spoke to the realtor, so they wouldn't have to worry about people seeing them practice sorcery.

Life went on, year after year, with the summer holidays spent in Asgard and teaching Arawn what it meant to be a prince. He took to it remarkably well, handling the pressures of being royalty with all the grace and elegance that Loki himself did. Unless he was passionate about something, and then the boy had a personality more like his uncle then father.

"_But they're not getting proper education grandfather!" Arawn said loudly, face turning red with his conviction. They had just eaten when Odin had asked the now 11 year old what he had learned in his weekly trip to the city below._

"_Oh? How is that?" Odin asked quietly, taking a drink of his mead and fixing his one eye on the boy._

"_They do not know math, or the proper way to write, or, or, anything I've learned!"_

"_Arawn, I need reasons for these subjects to be taught in our school, or I will not make the change." Odin's voice was quiet and commanding. "If you can prove that our world would be better off being taught these mortal subjects, then I will implement them."_

_Arawn had stomped off in a huff after that, much to the amusement of the others sitting at the table._

He had. He had written a detailed report for all the things in Asgard that would benefit from being taught some of the subjects from Midgar. Within a year, bridges that had to be constantly repaired were steady, roads were no longer uneven, and even the method of cleaning and distributing water was better. However, despite his best efforts, no technology from Midgard would work on their world. Arawn spent an entire summer trying to get his cell phone to work – he had a girl he was head over heels for on Midgard – and finally resorted to simply writing her letters.

It was also the first time someone said that he was as clever as his father. It made Loki swell with pride that his son was being so well received among his future subjects.

They had their ups and down, like any family. (_"I hate you!" Arawn screamed. Loki ignored the stab to his heart, snorting. "Tough shit." – "Dad, I had a nightmare," Arawn whispered, and Loki just sighed, lifting up the blanket and letting his son curl into him. – "It's my life! You're not my real dad!" Arawn went pale right after he said it, but Loki just turned away, going back to putting the dishes in the dishwasher so Arawn wouldn't see the tears in his eyes. "Dad…" "I'm not your father, remember?") _They had gotten through it all, and came out stronger for it in the end. He had no clue how to raise a child, but as the years went on and he saw some of the kids Arawn went to school with, he had to admit that he felt like he had done a decent job.

It didn't help that his son was a certified genius, something they kept quiet upon Arawn's request. He took to school and knowledge like a sponge to water, immersing himself in his studies of magic and math with equal vigor. There were many times that Arawn had to help him understand a bit of technology, much to his sons amusement.

One of his happiest memories came when Arawn was 14, and just entering high school. For a school project, they had to do a report on a member of their family, and bring them in to introduce them to the class. To this day Loki can't forget his father's face when Arawn turned those big puppy eyes on him in the throne room, and begged him to do the report.

"_I am not from Midgard Arawn. I cannot do this…project, as you call it." _

_Loki was off to the side, hidden in the shadows with his mother and brother, all three of them red in the face from the effort they were making not to burst out in laughter. Odin's face was tired, but they could all see the pleased look in his eyes as Arawn continued to argue his case._

"_But grandfather, you are one of the most interesting people I know. Aside from grandmother, that is," he added hastily, eyes darting around and trying to see if they were there. Odin probably knew they were there, but Arawn's sensing skills weren't quite there yet. "You are a mighty warrior and scholar, and you love to spin tales. It will be just like an adventure grandfather! You can be whatever you want to be!"_

_He also learned the lessons from his father well._

_He gave Odin a beaming smile, and the three knew that Odin was lost even before he sighed, face crinkling into a smile._

"_So be it young one, if it means that much to you. I will do my research and find you before the end of day. Now go!" He made a shooing motion with his hand, and Arawn did a small happy dance before he bowed, and shot out of the throne room. As soon as the door was shut the three fell over each other, laughing until tears came from their eyes._

_Odin just glared at them. "Laugh now, my family, for you three will be helping me with this."_

_That got them to stop. _

_Except for Loki. Odin had no clue what he had just stepped into. _

Loki had almost lost it again when his father had entered the classroom, looking decidedly out of place. He had changed his beard and hair to a shorter length, and his story was that he was in the Navy during the Vietnam War, which was how he lost his eye. Odin had never been one to pass up an audience, so as he spun tales for the enraptured teenagers and adults, his eye began to twinkle, and Loki could tell that his father was truly enjoying himself.

After the day was done, Loki treated his father to a Midgard dinner and showed him the sights of New York. Arawn was more than happy to play host, and that day is one of the best that Loki can remember.

But then high school really began to get into swing, and Loki found himself attending football games and buying musical instruments, watching concerts and putting together food for a potluck. He actually caught himself one day, humming a catchy but annoying Midgard song, putting together a chicken recipe that his mother had given him. One of Arawn's friends was coming over for dinner, Thor and his son were in the backyard practicing football – surprise surprise, Thor had gotten into the game – and he was _smiling_.

He was content. He really couldn't use happy, because in truth he wasn't, but it was moments like these that he treasured. When he felt like he was Thor's equal finally, and that it was Arawn that brought that out in him.

Over the years, the relationship between Odin and himself had become strained to the point of breaking. While their father still spouted that either one of them could become king, there was no doubt who Odin would pick when the time came. Thor wielded Mjolnir, though it was of no consequence that Gungnir had awakened for him. Their fathers own spear had come to life in his hand a year before Thor had been able to pick up Mjolnir several centuries ago, and yet Thor was the clear winner. He and his brother had become closer, thanks to Arawn and their time in Midgard, and Loki wasn't as envious as he used to be. It helped, having Thor spend so much time with them in Midgard. Mortals didn't put as much stock into physical strength as they did that of the mind – and money. Loki Hunter had money, charisma, and the class to go with it all.

On Midgard, he was the one revered, not Thor. Many of the people in their lives didn't like his older brother, with his loud and brash ways. There were some, because Thor did have a sort of charm about him, but not many. It had been a rude awakening for his brother, one that Loki didn't deny that he relished. Arawn was more sympathetic, but not by much. His son was growing to be a true prodigy.

It still hurt though, knowing that their father had already decided. Even Arawn had mentioned it, but Loki's reaction had shut the conversation down quickly. No matter how hard he tried to prove to their father that he was worthy, that he was a good son, a good prince, a good _father_…it never was enough. It burned through his veins like acid, giving him thoughts that he should never entertain, and breeding a darkness in him that he couldn't stop.

It would only be a few months until Arawn graduated a year early, and four months after that when he would reach 17 years of age. It would be then that he would receive his golden apple, and truly become what he had been living with all these years. He was already his son in spirit, but now he would become his in blood as well.

It would also be time for them to return to Asgard, on a permanent basis. Neither father or son were looking forward to it. Loki knew Thor would rope him and Arawn going on hunts with the other warriors, something that he always dreaded. Not out of fear for the creature, but for the sharp, cutting comments he would receive from their _companions_. Despite the equally deadly words he threw back, it still…sucked, as his son called it.

It was with pride that he watched his son walk across the stage, golden eyes glowing with pleasure and happiness. This was something his son had wanted to do, and he'd completed it with flying colors. Valedictorian, musician, and proud tech geek. It was of no consequence that he technically had already graduated high school, and technically college as well, though only a few months ago. It was by his sons wish that nothing was made public, so it wasn't.

That night was the first time that Arawn went out to a party, and the first time he had slammed open the door with sorcery, and closed it just as hard. Thor and Loki had been sparring in the backyard when he burst in and stripped off his shirt. Without a word Arawn joined in, lashing out with brutal speed with fists and feet. It was so shocking with its intensity that the brothers responded in kind. It turned into a whirl of blood and feet and anger, until Arawn got Loki in the jaw with a foot, and Thor got the boy onto the ground. Arawn just grunted and stared up at the sky, not even making an attempt to stand, anger swirling hotly in his face.

"What the hell happened?" Loki demanded, wincing when talking made his bruised diaphragm protest.

"…go look at my car," he finally ground out, and Loki snapped straight despite the pain. His strides took him around the house in no time, with Thor and Arawn following slowly. He hit the corner and stopped, jaw clenching tight. His sons pristine '75 F-150, a machine that he had restored with his own hands, was completely destroyed. All of the lights were busted out, the front and rear windshield completely gone, and spray paint covered almost every inch. And words…_I'm going to kill these children_, he thought with vicious coldness.

"What are their addresses?" he asked calmly, turning around to look at his son. Whatever he saw made Arawn growl and stagger over, weakly punching his chest.

"You're not going to do anything dad. I walked away from them at the party, and you're going to too. They're not worth it."

"How can you say that?" he snapped hotly, waving a hand at the car. "They ruined it!"

"They didn't do anything that can't be fixed," he said with a shrug, and his eyes were just begging him to believe it, to trust him.

"But…" He dropped his hand, not understand the sheer forgiveness that he was seeing. He would have rained fire and blood and sorcery to get back at the slight.

"But they only did superficial things, and its nothing that I can't fix. I mean, dad, they're just jealous because of how awesome I am." His own cocky smirk was suddenly reflected back at him, and his anger suddenly deflated. Then he fixed Arawn with a sharp eye.

"You're not letting them get away with this completely, are you?" he demanded, lips twitching when Thor laughed and his son actually cackled. There was no question that he didn't know who had done it.

"Oh hell no. I've already got my plans for them set." His eyes burned, quick and bright like a slashing knife. "It's going to be epic."

"Then you can handle this how you see fit my son," he smirked, and went into the house for some ice and food, the other two following.

Thor left after that, promising to see them when they went back, a week before Arawn's birthday on the 31st of October. For two months they traveled, seeing the different sights of the world, before being reduced to the monotony that was Asgard. China, Japan, France, New Zealand, even using sorcery to appear on the top of Mount Everest. It had been one of the most breath taking sights he had seen while on Midgard.

He literally had to drag Arawn away from it.

At the end of August they went back to their house, and Arawn had a surprise waiting for him. In the mail was a typed letter, with a phone number from one of the technology wizards that his son so admired. When he called, they set up an appointment to meet for dinner at the man's office the next day. Arawn was a ball of energy the entire way, and strode into the building as though he owned it. He had the desk clerk charmed in a moment, and Loki grinned, watching the interplay. Then they were on the elevator, went through two more secretaries, and were finally seated in a lavish room with floor to ceiling windows looking over New York.

Then the door opened, and he turned with a polite smile. The man returned it, walking over and extending his hand.

"Tony Stark, nice to meet ya."

* * *

**A/N: I'm getting this out now, since I work two jobs, both of them are in retail, and I won't have much time for anything but sleep and work until after the 1st. I suppose you can call this a Black Friday present, without having to buy it. **

**Chapter Three Preview:**

"Then you need to call me Tony, or Stark, either one. Both of you."

He nodded his head gracefully. "Very well Stark."

"Works for me Tony." Arawn gave the inventor a shit eating grin.

Stark grinned widely, winking at Arawn before turning his full attention back to Loki. "Oh I like how you say that, Loki. Nice purr you've got."

Loki's eyebrow raised with interest, and he lowered his voice purposely. "I have a purr, Stark?"

"Yep, and that's sexy as hell."

A groan from Arawn had them both smirking. "Would you two stop it?"

"Stop what? Your father is a beautiful man," Stark said with an unrepentant grin.

"Yea I know. Just ask him," Arawn grumbled, but he was grinning. Stark turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Is that so?"

"I am well aware of my looks, Stark."

"So you're a narcissist like me."

"No one can take narcissism to the level you have it," he said dryly, and Stark burst into laughter.


	4. Revelations

Loki could only endure so much technology babble before a pounding migraine began to set in. They had gone from dinner, to Stark inviting Arawn to see his workshop in Los Angeles. This, only after Arawn had mentioned there was something off with the calibration of the engine in his truck, and the two had quickly bonded over grease and metal. Loki had been overruled on inviting the man to their house, though he did smirk with the praise Stark gave him on the equipment he had bought for his sons hobby.

So they found themselves on a private jet with Stark the very next day, on their way to the City of Angels. They had nothing better to do, already said goodbyes and tied up loose ends in the city.

He was a genius, but his son and Stark were still above him. He had known of his sons admiration for the inventor, especially after he returned and became Iron Man.

He told his son the night before that he was very lucky that Loki loved him so much. He didn't like Stark, because he reminded him to much of Thor. Loud, brash, stubborn, and willing to do just about anything for attention.

Yet…he glanced up from his laptop, taking note of how the blue eyes sparkled as he and Arawn bantered back and forth, and he nearly laughed when Stark's hands joined the conversation. It was the ease of banter when you found someone your equal in a subject…or two.

He only blinked when Stark looked at him, meeting his eyes. That was the moment that he realized Anthony Stark was nothing like his brother.

The pale, piercing blue was too sharp, too knowing. Too _fractured_ to be anything resembling his brothers.

"Mr. Hunter, you're son is a genius. Where have you two been hiding all this time?"

Loki smirked. "Under a rock, Mr. Stark."

"Dad!"

"What?" he asked innocently, glancing at his son. He was blushing, but then Stark snorted.

"No, seriously. Why aren't you sending him to MIT? He could be the next me."

"And that's supposed to be incentive?" he returned, smirking at the shit-eating grin he got.

"Well I am a genius and billionaire."

"And a playboy and drunk," he pointed out, using a finger as emphasis. Arawn gasped in alarm, but Stark only smirked, their eyes never leaving the others.

"Guilty. Seriously though, why isn't he going to college, or something? He could be great."

Loki looked at his son, and nodded at the question in the amber eyes.

"Well, actually Mr. Stark, I graduated from MIT in March."

Loki had to hide a grin at the shocked look on Starks face. "Didn't you just graduate high school?"

Now Arawn puffed up with pride, a cocky smirk that was pure Loki on his face. "I've technically been graduated from high school since I was 14." Then he shrugged, his cheeks glowing red. "I didn't want to leave my friends."

Stark looked at him. "Why didn't you pull him out? I could've had him as an apprentice, or something."

Loki didn't even need to respond, since Arawn made a soft noise, almost a growl. "He didn't per my request, Mr. Stark. I didn't leave high school because I had friends there, and I wanted to be someone they looked up to. If my intelligence-"

"Genius."

"-had been revealed early," Arawn continued, shooting the man a glare, "then it would have made me unapproachable, and ostracized. I wanted to be an _approachable_ role model, and I couldn't be that if I was put on a pedestal."

Stark blinked a few times as Loki smiled proudly. Then Stark looked at him again, and Arawn sighed irritably. If there was one thing his son hated, it was being looked down on as a child. "You knew all of this?"

"I did. It was his choice Mr. Stark, and when he gave me that argument, how could I say no to such a noble sentiment?"

"I want to inspire people," Arawn said forcefully, then sighed, looking out the window now with a frown of thought. "Not push them away with my genius." He smiled at Stark then, and Loki noticed something interesting. There was a flash of emotion in the pale blue eyes – respect. And it was still there when the man turned and looked at him.

"You did good Mr. Hunter."

Now Arawn was beaming at him with pride, and he felt a slight blush on his cheeks. He was still not used to people complimenting him on anything other than his looks. "Loki, Mr. Stark."

"Then you need to call me Tony, or Stark, either one. Both of you."

He nodded his head gracefully. "Very well Stark."

"Works for me Tony." Arawn gave the inventor a shit eating grin.

Stark grinned widely, winking at Arawn before turning his full attention back to Loki. "Oh I like how you say that, Loki. Nice purr you've got."

Loki's eyebrow raised with interest, and he lowered his voice purposely. "I have a purr, Stark?"

"Yep, and that's sexy as hell."

A groan from Arawn had them both smirking. "Would you two stop it?"

"Stop what? Your father is a beautiful man," Stark said with an unrepentant grin.

"Yea I know. Just ask him," Arawn grumbled, but he was grinning. Stark turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Is that so?"

"I am well aware of my looks, Stark."

"So you're a narcissist like me."

"No one can take narcissism to the level you have it," he said dryly, and Stark burst into laughter.

"Touché, touché." Stark studied him for a moment, the light of challenge entering his eyes. He said nothing more though, and turned back to Arawn. The conversation moved back into the realm of computers and machines, and Loki turned back to his laptop.

He couldn't stop grinning though, even as his nerves hummed under his skin. There was something inherently dangerous about the bantering with Stark, a verbal quicksand that he was going to have to fight to keep from drowning. He knew he'd never be able to avoid it completely, and wasn't sure if he wanted to. Not even Arawn could keep up with him in word games, yet Stark did it effortlessly.

He smirked, glancing at the man from under his lashes. These last two months were going to be _very_ interesting.

**[x][x][x][x][x]**

Loki ground his teeth together as he lashed out at the dummy, knocking its head clean off with a powerful punch.

"Jarvis, another please."

"Right away Mr. Hunter."

The demolished one went into the floor, and a new one replaced it. Loki took a moment to wipe his forehead, then settled back into a stance before launching a flurry of kicks and knees to the canvas body. As his body moved automatically, his mind sped through thoughts that amused him, made him burn with arousal, and pissed him off to no end.

_Anthony Stark._

He didn't know what happened, and he was sure that Stark felt the same. After that moment in the jet things had only escalated between them. He and Arawn had never meant to spend so much time with the man, it had just happened. It took a week for Stark to complain about them invading his living space, only to have Arawn sharply retort that he needed someone to look after him. And that it was a quote from Pepper.

Stark had given him a strange look as Arawn nonchalantly went about putting a transmission back together. After that, they just never left again, and Stark said nothing about it. Then Jarvis had turned on the man, though he never seemed too upset about it. Loki had ordered food for just the two of them, since Arawn was off on some date that night, and he had gone down to the lab to deliver. Stark had waved him off, not even letting him in the door, when Jarvis opened it with a 'Have a good meal Mr. Hunter.'

After that it just turned into a downward spiral. A lovely, painful, exciting dive.

The man was infuriating. He had an ego unlike any Loki had ever seen before, but he used it as a weapon to cover up the insecurities that were on the inside. He used Iron Man as a cover and publicity stunt all in one, refusing to admit – even to himself – that there was a deeper reason for his ridiculous acts of heroism. No matter what Loki said or did, he could not get the man to open up about anything, even after he had seen Stark in the midst's of a nightmare. Even after he had crawled in bed with the man, and held him as he fought not to cry and scream and rant, and they both had fallen into an exhausted sleep.

He considered the man a friend, the first since his childhood so long ago. He _thought_ the man felt the same.

Then the teasing, the heated glances between them both, and the invitations – on his part. He was perfectly fine with the idea of sleeping with the man – more than fine, truth be told – but Stark always shied away when he offered though Loki could tell he was interested. He didn't know if it was because he was a man as well, but the way he flipped back and forth was giving him whiplash, and a mean temper. Not that his temper was the best anyway.

He growled when an arm ripped away from the dummy, and let his anger snap. He gripped the other and ripped it off, before delivering a fatal blow to the head, leaving it hanging by a strip of canvas.

He backed away, breathing heavily as the panels below moved and took the ruined dummy. He held up a hand before another could come out. "I'm done for the moment, Jarvis."

"Very well Mr. Hunter."

He stripped off his sweat-soaked shirt as he walked over to the wall, picked up the bottle that was there, and drank until there was no water left. He glared at it, unreasonably pissed that there wasn't any more liquid, and scowled.

"Jarvis, what the hell is your creators problem?" he snapped, not really expecting an answer.

"I believe he is scared, Mr. Hunter."

Loki blinked at the ceiling. He was surprised he got an answer, and even more so by what it was. "Scared of what Jarvis? The man isn't scared of anything." _Except himself, that is._

"Allow me to put it into perspective, Mr. Hunter. Mr. Stark has bedded several males, and even more females, but you are the only one that he is sexually attracted to that he has been around for longer then one night. I do believe, Mr. Hunter, that he has developed feelings of attachment, and is currently unsure of what to do with them."

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked softly, mind going a mile a minute. He had thought that it was simply because he was male, and he knew how this world viewed that sort of relationship, but it what Jarvis said was true…

"I believe that you are good for him, Mr. Hunter, you and your son. I have not seen Mr. Stark this animated and happy since his return from Afghanistan."

Something else suddenly clicked in Loki's brain as he listened to the AI. He tasted truth. It was the odd thing he'd always felt when Jarvis talked, that he hadn't realized till now. It filled him with a sense of awe, but no fear. "Jarvis, does Stark know that you are fully sentient?"

There was a soft whirring noise that Loki wouldn't have caught if he had been human – a sound of surprise or shock.

"I am unsure of what you mean, Mr. Hunter."

He snorted. "No you're not Jarvis. I do not…no, it was completely his intent, of course it was. You are a fully sentient, rational being. You bear the weight of emotion just like the rest of us, and you have your own beliefs. All you lack is a body, Jarvis."

There was a long silence as Loki filled the bottle again from a small faucet in the wall, drank it down, and filled it once more.

"You are correct, sir." That gave him a start. Jarvis called no one sir unless it was Stark. "He knows what I have become. It was his intention all along."

He snorted again, grinning. "Of course it was. Have the two tech monsters eaten yet?" It was almost dinner.

"Your…monsters, have not sir. Would you like me to order something?"

"If you would please. Italian should do nicely."

"Very good sir."

Loki strode into the bathroom and took a quick shower, knowing that it wouldn't be long before the food was delivered. Stark's name went a long way into getting what you wanted. Not a half hour later, Jarvis informed him that the food was there, and he went to the front door in nothing but his pajama pants. He smiled flirtatiously at the young man blushing a bright red, bowing elegantly as the boy handed over the food with a purred thank you. With his ego properly petted, he strutted down to the workshop and entered the code that Stark himself had given him after Jarvis turned on him. Loud rock music almost deafened him, and a long-suffering look at the ceiling had Jarvis shutting it off immediately.

Two tousled heads popped up from underneath a car.

"What the hell?"

"Dad!"

He held up the bags and sauntered over to them, smirking inwardly as he noticed Stark staring at him. "I took the liberty of ordering food."

Arawn gave him a beaming grin, sliding out from under the car and grabbed a rag. "What did you get?"

"Italian from the smell," Stark said as he followed suit. "Valentino's?"

Loki nodded his head in agreement and set the food down on a relatively clear work bench, and began to pull out the containers. As they all settled down, Loki was struck by how…easy this was. The two chatted about different things, and Loki was able to contribute to the conversation. He hadn't been essentially living with Stark for a month without picking up on a few things.

It was surprisingly comfortable. More than it should have been, more than he had ever expected from someone with the privacy issues like Stark had.

Just as they finished dinner, a call came in.

"Sir, Lieutenant Rhodes is on the line."

"Patch him through babe."

"_Tony, you need to get your ass down to San Francisco yesterday."_

Stark was already out of his seat and stepping onto the panel that would assemble the Iron Man suit around him. The Lieutenant never had that tone in his voice unless it was serious. "What happened?"

"_We have a group of terrorists that have taken the mayor hostage. They have 50cal and military grade armor."_

"I'm on my way." The visor flipped down, and Iron Man was gone.

Loki looked at Arawn, and his son just looked back. "I want to help him."

He sighed, rubbing his temple. It was an argument they'd had a few times. "We cannot reveal ourselves to him Arawn. Not when we'll be leaving in a few weeks."

"That's bullshit dad and you know it! You want to help him just as much as I do!"

Loki scowled at his son, and only got a heated glare in return. His mind inadvertently looked back on the few times Stark had gone out, and come back bloody and bruised. There was even one time that Loki had been forced to heal the unconscious man, or he would have bled out. He couldn't heal him completely, or Stark would have been suspicious, but the fear that he felt then was terrible. He had finally found a fellow man he could actually call a friend, and because of his stupid hero complex…

He growled and stood. "Jarvis, I beg you a favor."

"What is that sir?"

"Since when did he start calling you sir?" Arawn whispered in shock, looking at the ceiling.

Loki ignored him. "I need a promise from you. What you are about to see, this cannot get back to Stark, until I say it is okay."

"Is this something that can harm him sir?"

Loki took a deep breath, and locked eyes with Arawn's hopeful ones. "No Jarvis. We're going to help him."

"Very well sir. Mr. Stark will not hear about it from me."

Loki nodded and snapped his fingers. Instantly he was clothed in his battle leathers, and Arawn followed suit. Arawn's was similar to his, except instead of green and black, his was a deep red and brown. His helmet had horns, but they were smaller and curved right above the top of the helmet.

He took a deep breath, and looked at Arawn sternly. "We are going to watch, and watch only unless he looks to be in serious danger. Understood?" Arawn just nodded rapidly, a smirking grin on his face. Loki just shook his head. "Jarvis, what is Stark's location?"

He told them, and they teleported to a nearby building. He could feel Arawn nearly vibrating with the need for action, but he had learned well. He stayed, and they took in the scene that was below them. A barricade surrounded the entire building, and even as they watched the attackers opened fire, two shots only. With the lovely invention of the mounted .50 cal machine gun. They had planned this well to have made such a strong defensive post.

One of the cop cars burst into flame, and someone screamed. Loki winced slightly in sympathy when he saw that one of the bullets had caught a person, and ripped a hole through their lower half. They were dead before they hit the ground.

Then Iron Man was there, flying in from over the buildings opposite them, and several small projectiles came from his shoulder. He landed when all the terrorists manned at the guns collapsed, starting to walk cockily into the building, and a barrage of bullets began to hit him. Loki clenched his hand into a fists, eyes glittering as he fought with himself to stay where he was. They must have had more guns set up on the inside. This was _very_ well planned.

Then, it happened. One shot managed to get a piece of the armor off, and the next one was fired right back into the same spot. He heard Arawn gasp in shock when Stark fell backwards, and even from this height, they could see the arc reactor flicker.

With a snarl, he teleported himself right in front of the man, the bullets harmlessly reflecting off his person. It had been a long time since he had felt this terrible rage, and he used it to its full potential. He gathered his power as Arawn appeared behind him and teleported Stark out of range, and let loose a barrage of green daggers. Then he began to walk towards the building, a sharp smile slashing across his face as he came upon the first casualties of his. When he finally stepped through the broken glass and into the building proper, he was met with only five men. That gave him grisly amusement. They had to have started out with close to thirty.

One of them had his hand on a detonator.

"Stop where you are or I'll kill them all!"

He tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowed as he smiled widely, madly. "Can you please come up with something better?"

The man hesitated for just a moment, but it was that moment that he needed. He sent his sorcery out in a wave, along with two consecutive spells. The first was to locate all the bombs in the building, and tag them. The next was to turn all of them into ash. All of the hostages began to scream and run away, and Loki put a barrier around the group of men with a lazy flick of his hand when they started opening fire. All the bullets did were ricochet back at them, and they stopped very quickly.

He opened his mouth to say something, when the inside of the helmet heated for a moment in a communications spell.

"_Dad! You've got to get back here now!"_

"What is going on son?"

"_Tony, he's…he's not good."_

He focused his attention back on the men in black. "Sorry boys. Playtime is over."

He only crippled the leader as he used sorcery to fling him through the front windows at the authorities, but took great delight in sending his daggers through the throats of the others. With a wave of his hand his weapons disappeared, and he did as well.

His heart began hammering into his throat when he appeared in Stark's workshop. Between Jarvis and Arawn they had managed to get all the armor off but the boots, and there was blood everywhere. His son was coated with it, and he immediately dismissed his armor, uncaring that he was back to just pants as he knelt by the man's side. He closed his eyes and summoned his power, crushing the fear and panic that were trying to eat through him. Now was not the time for that.

He had worked to damn hard and sacrificed to much of himself for this man, he refused to lose him now.

As he sunk his sorcery into the ripped up skin as fast as he dared, one of his worst fears were confirmed. The armor had done its job, keeping the bullet from unleashing its full potential. Stark wouldn't have been alive.

"Jarvis, what is Stark's blood type?"

"O-negative sir." Jarvis sounded worried, and that didn't sit well with Loki at all.

"Well isn't that lucky," he muttered to himself, and promptly tore open his hands, using a bit of sorcery to keep his own blood flowing down into the gaping wound in Stark's side.

Then he delved deeper into his power then he ever had before. His mind was split in several directions, integrating his own blood into Stark's body, keeping him from going into shock, and healing the wound all at the same time. He concentrated on the internal damage first, ignoring the sweat that was rolling from his head. At first he didn't think it was doing anything, but then organs began to knit together, faster and faster as he poured everything he had into it. The last bit of lung tissue healed in a flash of green, and he felt his body falter. With nothing but nerve he refused to allow that to happen, refusing to stop until muscle had regrown and a tender shell of new skin was covering it.

Slowly he sent his sorcery through the rest of Stark's body, feeling his heart beat steadily but weakly, no longer in danger of dying from blood loss. All the other wounds were superficial, so he took his powers completely away, and blinked open his eyes…

Then promptly collapsed backwards into darkness.

**[x][x][x][x][x]**

Loki woke slowly, his thoughts fuzzy and slow as he looked around with blurry eyes. He was in his rooms in Stark's mansion, he was clean, and he was sandwiched between two bodies. His mind grew clearer as he looked on either side of him, smiling softly at what he saw. Arawn was tucked against his right side, almost curled into a ball like he used to sleep when he was younger, a sign of his exhaustion. On his other side was Stark, sprawled over his chest with one leg tangling with his, and a hand grasping his shirt tightly.

Both men were still sleeping soundly within his arms, so he let his head fall back onto the pillows, and take him away into gentle darkness.

The next time he woke he was curled on his left side, one arm under the pillow and the other wrapped around Stark. With his eyes still closed, he sent a tendril of sorcery into the sleeping man, smiling at what he found. His blood had been replenished enough that his heart was no longer weakly beating, strong and firm underneath the palm of his hand and the pulse of the reactor.

There was a hitch in his breathing, and Loki had a moment of alarm to realize that Stark had been awake, before he was rolled onto his back and the man was straddling his hips. He calmly set his hands on the powerful thighs, keeping a neutral expression as he met those startling blue eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Loki only raised an eyebrow at the accusation. "Tell you what?"

"That you and your son are gods."

Loki felt his face close down, clenching his jaw with anger at his son. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Stark slapped his chest. "Don't give me that shit Loki. Arawn told me everything. You're the Loki from Norse mythology, and you used your magic voodoo powers to save my life. Really awesome by the way. And, can I possibly get you as a lab rat?"

Loki opened his mouth to retort that it was not 'magic voodoo powers', and 'hell no', when Stark bent down and pressed a hot, moist kiss to his lips. He couldn't respond he was so stunned, the powerful reaction from his body momentarily erasing his ability to speak.

The man eased back, giving him an absolutely wicked smirk. "Thank you for that, by the way."

Finally Loki found his words. "You're not…"

"What? Scared, awe struck? Abasing myself at your feet and worshiping you?" Loki just nodded mutely as Stark's smirk just got bigger. "No such luck big guy. Narcissist, remember? Besides, I've seen some weird shit in my day."

"How could I forget?" he muttered sarcastically but fondly, finally relaxing into the mattress. He sighed, his hands massaging Stark's thighs absently. "When did you find out?"

Stark just shrugged, and Loki marveled at how…at ease the man seemed to be, sitting there with his hands resting lazily on Loki's stomach. "Your son told me how to elude your grasp, octopus."

Loki actually flushed at that. He knew of his tendency to wrap around anyone he was sleeping with. The only one who was able to get away from him without his waking up, was his son. "But you came back to bed."

Now Stark blushed, though his smirk never faltered. "You looked so cold, I just had to warm you up."

Loki resisted the urge to shift at the insinuating tone, and even though he had a fine temper building towards his son, he couldn't help how his interest sharpened. Stark noticed it too, as his own eyes grew heavy lidded, his lower body leaning just a bit more firmly into his.

"How are you faring?"

"Eh, I've had near death experiences a few times. This is a far cry from the last few where I woke up to Pep yelling in my face and Rhodey giving me the evil eye." His smirk turns challenging. "Why? Wondering if I could keep up with a god?"

"Stark…" Though he wasn't that far from the truth.

"Oh fine fine." He turned serious, giving him the same level look that he was receiving. "My muscles are sore, and I still have cuts and bruises – no thanks to you, by the way – but no more internal damage. Cleared up everything with those two, too, you're welcome."

Another part of Loki relaxed, and suddenly he was struck by how much this man has come to mean to him. Every conversation was like dancing with blades, and even he, a mortal, could match Loki's intellect…yet they have come to an easy understanding. In the month they have been living together, there had been fights and yelling matches, amazing dinners and spectacular conversations. No other being made him feel the way that this one did.

"Loki?"

"Hmm?" he replied absently.

"Stop thinking so hard."

"Take your own advice sometime."

"Can't. My brain never shuts off."

"Neither does your mouth." Ah this dance had become so familiar.

"I know. You'd get bored with me if I stopped talking."

"I could think of many things you could do with your mouth instead of talking. None of which would bore me."

Then he realized what he said and flinched slightly, looking at the ceiling and anywhere but the silent Stark. That was a bit more forward then he wanted to be. He still refused to look when he felt Stark shifting, the weight leaving his lap. He bit his lip to keep from asking the man to stay, but his eyes flew wide when chapped lips were pressed to the skin over his belly. He looked down, and Stark smirked up at him, an evil light in his eyes.

"Stark…"

"Tony."

Loki swallowed, hard. "Stark. What are you doing?"

There's another kiss that sends goose bumps racing over his skin. "What does it look like I'm doing? I nearly died, give me a break."

That made him growl and grab the broad shoulders, anger whipping through him hot and fierce. "So I am just a release? A toy? I will not be used Anthony Stark."

Black pupils shift a bit, and glaze over. "Wow that shouldn't have been as hot as it was. Yea, um, right, you're the only one that can call me Anthony by the way. And you're not a toy."

"Then what the hell are you doing?" Frustration, desire, anger, it all rolled through him as he glared.

"Something that should have happened awhile ago."

The soft, honest words killed the sharp reply he had. "Does that mean you're done running away?"

Tony gives him a bittersweet smile. "Dying will do that."

"I know."

They stared at each other for a heartbeat, the gravity of the moment reflected in the dark, twisted places that resided in the depths of their hearts. Then a slow smile curved Stark's lips, devoid of the mockery and sarcasm.

"So gods can die, hmm?"

"Any being who is born can die," he responded with a faint smile. He shifted his gaze down, and raised a hand to touch the glowing circle that resided there. "Some are just harder to kill then others."

The moment was shattered as Arawn burst through the door, trays of food balanced on each arm. He stopped short, eyes going wide as he took them in, the position they were in, and a huge grin split his face.

"I knew it. Pepper is going to be so pissed."

"Why is Pepper going to be pissed?" Stark nearly squeaked, and Loki had to hold in a snort.

Then Arawn's smile turned decidedly evil. "Because I won the bet. She said you two would be to chicken shit to ever get together. I knew it would happen. Now get your asses up, we got places to go." With a flick of his eye fold out tables came out of the closet, making Stark gape and Loki glare. His son only smirked.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Loki nearly growled as Stark reluctantly got off his lap.

"Well, now that Tony knows about our powers, I thought we could go take him to Mount Everest."

Loki did snort at that, and Stark just looked confused. Arawn's eyes were glittering with anticipation, because if his son could live anywhere, it would be on the top of that mountain.

"That's his favorite place on Midgard," Loki explained, earning a brilliant grin from his son.

"Midgard? Wait, Earth, right, Norse. You two have climbed…no, wait, never mind. Sorcery and such, right?" They both nodded, and he grinned, looking like an excited kid. "Alright Wonder Twins, take me where you will."

"Awesome! I'm going to go get ready! You guys can screw each other later, so be dressed when I come back!"

"Arawn!" he yelled, but only got his sons laughter as he ran out the door. He knew his son was only giving them time to speak; he could have dressed himself with a snap of his fingers. He sighed in amusement, running a hand through his hair, wincing when it got stuck. He needed to style it once again – it was getting curly.

"You two are leaving soon right?"

Loki nodded reluctantly. It felt strange, but for once there was no need to lie to someone. "Yes. We are needed back in Asgard for Arawn's coming of age ceremony."

"Are you coming back?"

Loki fought back a sigh, and looked up, meeting the intense blue eyes. "No, probably not. Not for awhile at least. I would not blame you if you didn't want to begin anything between us. My brother will be crowned king within a few years, so not until after that." He couldn't have hid the bitterness in those words if he tried, and the ugly, seething darkness inside him reared its head.

"Eh, I've already made my decision. Once I've made up my mind, I'm a stubborn ass." Stark shot him a wide grin, and Loki just shook his head. "It doesn't sound like you approve. Of your brother, I mean."

"We don't." Arawn was leaning against the door frame then, dressed with arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "My uncle is an awesome guy, don't get me wrong, but he's not king material."

"Well I'm hurt," Stark said dramatically, putting a hand to his chest with a fake wounded expression. "You two said we're a lot alike. So I'm not king material either?"

Loki couldn't help but snort, the bitter monster receding at the humor. "Despite your arrogance Stark, when it comes to it, you would put the good of your company before anything personal."

"If I couldn't find any other way, sure."

"Exactly Tony," Arawn added, coming in and grabbing a biscuit. "Uncle Thor is not like that. He's more brawn above brains, and takes slight to his honor very seriously. He would start a war over someone calling him princess."

"You would be a better king," Stark said with a hum of thought.

That was the first time anyone had said that to him other then Arawn, and Loki gave the man a true smile. "I know, even though I don't want it. I think my mother even knows, but Thor has the hearts of the populace and our father. It is them that makes the decision." He stood up when Stark went to respond, shaking his head. "Let's not dwell on it now. We still have two weeks on Earth. Let's make them count."

"Hear hear!" Arawn said with a laugh, and the three of them sat down and ate.

Everest changed to the Brazilian jungle, and then to amusement parks all over the world. Before they really knew it, it was only a day before they had to go back, and they all gathered in the living room of Starks home, even Pepper.

"You two should really come with us," she said, as she adjusted her shawl once again. Arawn gave them the evil eye – he had developed a crush on the gorgeous redhead – as he and Stark exchanged a knowing look.

"Nah, you two go ahead. We're going to have a quiet night in. Besides Pep, being seen with such a handsome young man on your arm is going to give you brownie points."

Pepper grinned at Arawn, who was looking rather handsome in his chocolate colored silk shirt, offset by a fitted navy suit, without a tie of course. His hair and eyes blazed in contrast.

"That is very true. Well now handsome, shall we go?"

Arawn bowed with a wide grin and held out his arm. "After you, Lady Pepper."

After they left, the two sat on the couch with the television playing a horror film, Stark tucked under his left arm as they scoffed at the movie. Loki would never admit to the nerves that were clenching his stomach tight. They had gone back and forth these past two weeks, but except for a quick encounter in the showers with their hands, nothing had been done.

He could feel the awareness building between them, coiling and growing until he wanted to shift from the restless energy of it. Stark muttered a curse, and suddenly he was on top of him, glaring down at him with heated eyes.

He opened his mouth – he didn't know what he was going to say – but his words were stopped by a hot, wet kiss. It was dominant and possessive, exactly what Loki needed. Stark definitely knew how to kiss, and their tongues battled, bumping the tension up a notch to where it was almost unbearable. He ran his hands under the loose t-shirt Stark wore, earning a hiss as he dragged his nails lightly up the planes of muscle. He chuckled darkly into the kiss, and with his strength, simply ripped the shirt from Starks body.

"Well that's not fair," the man panted as he leaned back, glaring at Loki. He just smirked and snapped his fingers, and they were both naked. Then he hissed as Stark purposely ground his ass down, taking him from semi-hardness to full so quickly it made him a bit dizzy. "Don't suppose you have any magical lube?"

Loki blinked, then began to chuckle. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on the reactor, feeling it buzz against his lips as he maneuvered a hand between their legs. Stark pressed into the finger that was circling his entrance, the yelped as Loki unleashed the spell as his finger slid home.

"What…what the hell…" he gasped, head thrown back as his hips moved, and it was one of the hottest sights Loki had ever seen. Stark knew what he wanted, knew what he liked, and wasn't afraid to show it.

"Cleaning and lube," he muttered, licking dry lips as he sat back, watching Stark move with abandon as he fucked himself on his finger. He added another, nearly groaning when Stark _whimpered, _blue eyes snapping open. He added a third, grinning slightly at Starks hiss of pain and pleasure, using his free hand to bury in the messy black locks and bring them together for a kiss. He did groan into the swollen lips when calloused fingers began to rub and tweak his nipples, electric sensations firing along his nerve endings.

With a growl Stark pulled back and grabbed his hand, pulling his fingers out of his body. Loki had a moment to think they should go to the bedroom, before Stark was shifting and guiding him in. He grabbed the tense hips as he hissed, overwhelmed by the searing, tight heat that was engulfing him. It had been so long since he had been with anyone, that the sensations were threatening to throw him overboard into a very embarrassing situation.

Then Stark began to move, and he no longer had the luxury of a single coherent thought. Vague words – _yes, yes, more, fuck, heat, fuck_ – ran as a litany through his head and it was a testament to how much he was enjoying himself that when Stark fell over the edge with a curse, he followed.

He wrapped his arms around the shaking form, only minimally surprised that his own muscles felt like jelly, and sighed deeply. He wasn't nearly done with the delectable man in his arms, but he savored this contact, not knowing when he would experience it again.

The thought drove him to kiss Stark's temple softly, smirking into the fall of sweaty, curly hair, and whisper in his ear, "Anthony."

Tony immediately shot backwards, startling Loki, and gave him a cocky grin. "If I knew having sex was all it would take, this would have happened a lot sooner."

Loki blushed and scowled. "I am not a fan of calling people by their first names. It is too personal for my tastes."

Anthony smirked and gave him a kiss, easing him up onto shaking legs and walking naked over to the bar. Loki felt heat burn through him again at the glistening trail of his essence that he could see going down the powerful thighs. For a short man, Anthony Stark was a…what had his son said again? Ah, a _brick shithouse_. Even the thought was enough to make him wince. This culture was far too crass for his tastes.

That was when he realized Anthony had been talking to him, and he just smirked at the glare he was receiving. "I'm sorry, say again?"

"I asked if you wanted dinner." Then he shrugged and turned nonchalantly away, sipping his drink. "You know though, I don't really know much about aliens, so maybe you guys just eat through osmosis or – fuuuuuuuck..."

Loki was out of his seat before he could finish, his mouth finding the sensitive junction between neck and shoulder, hands slipping around to scrape his nails along the sharp hipbones. He pulled the compact body back against his, and grinned when Anthony shivered. "I want _you_ for dinner."

"Uh, yea…that could happen. That can _definitely_ happen."

* * *

**A/N: So I'm finishing these faster then I thought I would. Here's some smut, and some Tony/Loki interactions. **

**Til next time.**


	5. Blood of my Blood

**A/N: Happy New Year!**

* * *

The next day, as he and Arawn stood on the roof of the tower, even Loki was sore from the escapades last night. Yet he couldn't help but smirk quietly to himself when he left Tony's bed, the man spread face first and snoring lightly, skin peppered with scratches, marks, and bruises. He had only glared at Arawn when his son gave him a knowing smirk. Now, it was only the two of them on the roof, and his hands and mouth were busy forming the spell that would take them home, versus what else they would rather be doing.

When he finished with the spell the portal swirled into being, and he blinked as a door slammed open below them.

"Damnit! Hold on a second!"

He craned his neck to look over the edge, and snickered as Tony began stumbling up, the sheet held loosely around his lower half. He crossed his arms over his chest, cocking an eyebrow when the cursing, stumbling, half-awake man finally made it to them and shoved something at his chest. He grabbed it instinctively, blinking when he found an all metal circuit board, and he held it up closer to examine it.

All the edges were smoothed, a deep gunmetal grey, and he knew he was looking at titanium. The entire thing was hand done, and he smirked as he realized where it had come from. One day in the workshop, he had thrown one at Anthony's head for some smartass comment he made, and had actually managed to make a small cut.

Arawn had went into mother hen mode, while he and Loki laughed until they cried.

"Why?" he asked quietly, scowling when the man only smirked at him, yawning.

"Eh, you know you want something to remember me by," he said with a wide, cocky grin.

Loki tilted his head to the side slightly then, examining the man as he slowly slipped the chain over his neck, tucking the small square under his leathers. Anthony would never admit it, but he could see the almost fear in the blue eyes, the pleading that he tried so hard to hide that the times they had spent together wouldn't be forgotten. That everything they had shared wouldn't be forgotten. That the trust Anthony had given him by living and sleeping together wasn't in vain.

He knew how that felt, all too well.

So, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the still swollen lips, growling in regret and lust when Tony buried a hand into his hair and pressed their bodies together. With a shocking amount of willpower he pulled away, and waved his hands. In the space between them an object appeared. It was a necklace, one that he had thought to give as a gag, but now found that it meant more to him than that. It was a pendent, with a stylized stag head in profile on it, the eye an emerald. He had gotten it on their travels, after Anthony had seen them in full battle gear. He passed it over, smirking softly when Tony slipped it over his head.

"When I am on this world, the eye will glow, and the metal will turn warm. So you'll always know when I am here." He said it softly, reaching a hand out to caress his thumb over the strong cheekbone. Tony just grinned at him, playing it off, but his eyes told him of his thanks. He then turned his head to kiss his palm.

"Well get going Prongs and Pronglett. Wouldn't want you to be late for your magic ball."

"Do I get glass slippers then?" Arawn drawled, and Tony cracked up. With another laughing kiss, the two walked through the portal, and into Asgard.

They emerged in his quarters, before the large fireplace. Loki stayed where he was, and Arawn knew him well enough that he just left the room, giving him his privacy. Until Thor showed up. He probably had five minutes, at the most. His brothers sensing skills had gotten disgustingly good as of late.

He stayed rooted to the spot and just closed his eyes, taking a deep, long breath. His heart ached, and he would be damned if he allowed his brother to see it. So he carefully erected his mask, faint lines at his eyes smoothing out, a little smirk coming to his lips. He coated his feeling in the smooth glide of ice, but couldn't stop the flare of resentment as a rumble of thunder echoed down the corridor. It was his brothers way of announcing his arrival, and Loki was glad for it…however…

He looked up with a smirk as Thor walked in – they had cured him of barging in at least. "Brother! Welcome home!"

"My thanks brother," he murmured, changing his clothing with a wave of his hand. Arawn walked through the connecting door then. Loki glared and Thor shook his head. "You cannot go out wearing that."

"Why not?" Arawn looked down at his jeans and t-shirt, then back up with an impish grin. "I'm supposed to be the one bringing things up to date in Asgard right?"

"You can do it wearing our clothing," he countered smoothly, resisting the urge to put his hands on his hips. Instead he crossed them, pointing a finger at his son.

"But our clothing doesn't have pockets!"

Loki nearly rolled his eyes. "You are a sorcerer Arawn. You can make pockets." He glared at his brother as Thor snorted.

"But…"

"No buts. Change your clothing, or I will."

Arawn grumbled but did with a wave of his hand. Brown leather pants – that still looked like jeans – and a loose linen shirt appeared, along with his knee high boots. Loki blinked as his son manifested the twin daggers Frigga had gotten him for a birthday, tucking them into his boots. They matched the ones that were in his own.

"Why the weapons nephew?" Thor asked.

Arawn's eyes darkened slightly, before giving them a brilliant grin. "I never go anywhere unarmed Uncle Thor."

Loki didn't give his brother a chance to respond. He knew the fear of being taken advantage of that sent his son to carry weapons all the time. It was the same reason he did. "Come. Our day needs to get started, and we have much to do."

They only nodded as he walked out of the room.

The following week was a blur of parties and meetings and paperwork. However, the morning he woke up on the 31st, his son's birthday, the migraine that had plagued him all week was gone. The official ceremony wasn't until later that day, but the true one would take place within an hour.

That hour found him standing facing his son in their private gardens, a golden bowl resting on a pedestal between them, and two gleaming golden apples on either side. No words could be said during the magical ritual, since it had to be done by sheer willpower alone. He picked up his apple, calm on the outside though his heart was beating rapidly, and Arawn mirrored him. They each took a bite, and then exchanged fruit, taking another and another until nothing was left but the seeds. Those they stored to take back to Idun, so she could grow trees from them.

Loki held his arm over the basin and took a knife to his wrist, allowing only enough blood to flow to make a small puddle in the bottom. Arawn did the same, their blood mixing, and they both sealed the wound with sorcery. The wind began to pick up as they let loose some control on their powers, eyes meeting and locking. Smooth emerald mixed with electric saffron and Arawn picked up the bowl, taking a mouthful of their combined blood. He set it down with a gasp, pupils blown wide as the binding hit him and began to rewrite his very genetics. Loki then took his own drink, grimacing at the taste. The magic hit him then, and he and Arawn took hands. Now that the magical ritual was over, words needed to be said.

"Blood of my blood," he said through gritted teeth, the magical binding tightening in his body like a noose.

"Blood of my blood," Arawn echoed, his voice hoarse with strain.

"Father and son." He had to swallow after to force the bile back down his throat.

"Father…and son," Arawn gasped out, hands tightening to an almost bone crushing grip around his own.

"So…mote…it…be…" Loki forced the words out, his body suddenly burning, and it took all his control not to whimper at the feeling of fire under his skin.

Arawn echoed him, and as soon as the last word left his lips the power crested, and they were both thrown into darkness.

As Thor ran over to them, lifting both of them up with ease, Frigga and Odin exchanged a worried look. Thor had not seen it, but in that brief flash of light, they had seen the pulse of blue that had raced over both Loki's and Arawn's skin.

Blood of my blood indeed.

**x[x]x[x]x[x]x[x]x[x]x**

The actual ceremony was a formality, but Loki wasn't in the mood to deal with the simpering idiots that kept coming up to him and congratulating him. Which was how he found himself sitting on a bench in the middle of the public gardens wishing that he was somewhere else. Somewhere with different constellations, different plants, and different people. His hand rose and began tracing the square chip under his shirt before he could even register the movement, his thoughts turning bitter.

He hated being in Asgard now. The powerful yet stagnant flows of power around him sickened him after the hot rush that was Midgard. Here he was required to wear his masks at all times, to play the part of the second son. To be the _shadow_ that everyone expected of him. He was required to support his brother, when all he wanted to do was fling truth into the faces of the masses – of his _father_ – to have them finally admit that he was his brothers equal.

Thankfully he was brought out of the downward spiral of his thoughts when a familiar voice snickered from nearby, and he snapped his gaze over to glare at his son. His son. Finally, truly, blood of his blood. The thought gave him a warm glow in his chest. Arawn was leaning against a tree, arms crossed and grinning.

"Stop mooning over Tony dad. We'll see him again."

Loki just sneered in reflex, dropping his hand away from his chest. "I was not. Why aren't you at the feast?"

Arawn just shrugged. "It got boring. Besides, if I hear one of those damn warriors make some stupid ass comment about you again, I'll go ballistic."

"Ah yes. The warriors three and Lady Sif," he sneered, standing and absently brushing off his clothes. "Their words are nothing Arawn. Merely jealousy."

His son gave him an arched eyebrow. "And that means what to me, exactly?"

Loki had to smirk as he led the way out of the garden and towards the hall where the feast was in full swing. "It means let it go. Their words mean nothing my son. And they cannot beat me in direct combat, so words are all they have."

"Yea well," Arawn muttered, almost growling as they paused at the threshold that would take them inside. "I'm going to make them eat their words."

The comment made Loki stop, and really look at his son. He knew he had grown up, but seeing the flare of resentment in his eyes took the last curtain away. Arawn had grown from a lanky youth into a tall, slender man, built on deceptive, whipcord strength. Much like Loki did, he utilized speed and long distance attacks versus up close and personal like Thor. It was a physical package that belied where his true strength lay – that of his mind.

It struck him then, and the thought made him smirk. "I do believe you could, Arawn."

Amber eyes lit up as they finally entered the hall, and Loki nodded to a member of his father's council that shouted drunken congratulations. "You really think I could?"

Loki for once ignored his masks as he turned to his son, placing his hands on the slim shoulders. "Arawn, I did not lie to you."

His son only smirked, but there was something suspiciously like tears in his amber eyes. "But you are the Liesmith."

Loki smirked back. "Ah, but I said I do not lie to you. There is a difference."

He was suddenly hugged by the shorter male, and he hummed in happiness as he returned the embrace.

"I love you dad."

He closed his eyes and rested his head down for a moment, allowing his smirk to become a sappy smile. "I love you too my son. Now, what do you want for a present?" He asked as he pulled back.

"I want to go on a hunt with you and Uncle Thor."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "No one else?" Arawn shook his head sharply, and Loki smiled indulgently. "Well, let's go find my brother shall we?"

Thor needed no convincing, though the argument that Fandral and Arawn got into was amusing. Especially when Arawn turned _all_ his clothes into small fish. That one even got Odin and Frigga to laugh, though they tried to hide it.

The next morning found them standing before Heimdall as he opened the Bifrost to Joutunheim. There were great beasts that roamed the wilds of the frozen land, one of which was wrapped around Loki, another around Thor.

His was the pelt of a great striped cat, shaded in grays, whites, and black. They resided in the mountains, fierce predators with two rows of teeth, and the size of Midgard's elephants. Thor had killed one of the wolves of the plains, a great beast that was pure, silvery grey, and had given rise to the stories of Fenrir. These had four rows of teeth however, consecutively smaller, and elongated canines.

As soon as they landed and his son saw where they were, Arawn gave a surprising leap of joy and took off running.

"Arawn! Wait!" Thor yelled, and Loki cursed as they started after him. He exchanged a meaningful look with his brother as they got nearer to the palace of Laufey, and Thor nodded. His grip tightened on Mjolnir a bit more, and he drew his magic up to just below the surface of his skin. They hadn't told Arawn where they were going, wanting it to be a surprise, and now he was thinking it was a mistake.

They turned a corner, and were frozen by what they saw. The king himself was on the ground, sitting on an ice block as Arawn talked a mile a minute in a language they couldn't understand. Loki whispered a spell that included his brother, and it washed over them. Since it was his spell, he suddenly knew that the language was the native tongue of the frost giants. _When did he learn that?_

"…Laufey, really? You're not going to let me hunt it? Really?"

The king made a sound that could possibly be a chuckle. "You are too young to go after the serpent, Arawn."

He said something else, but Loki didn't hear it. His ears were roaring as the dots connected, and he swept forward, face like a thundercloud. Arawn noticed him, as did the king, but while his son paled and took a step back, Laufey only frowned in displeasure.

"Arawn, please tell me that I didn't just hear correctly? You want to hunt a _nidhogg_?"

"I, uh…" He swallowed and smiled gamely. "Yes?"

"You are an idiot!" he snapped. "Not even your uncle or I have ever dared go after one! Laufey King, I apologize for my sons stupid question." He turned and gave a bow to the king, and would be surprised with himself later that he wasn't shaking where he stood in front of the Æsir's worst enemy.

"Prince Loki…and Prince Thor. The only reason I am tolerating you in my kingdom is for young Arawn. I accept your apology, and I would appreciate it if…" He suddenly glared. "If you go find your son before he is killed. I do not wish any harm to come to him."

Loki blinked, and snapped his eyes over to where Arawn had been standing. Sure enough, he was gone. Loki fought the urge to stamp his foot and took a deep breath. "Do you know where he has gone? You will know this place better than we ever could."

Laufey stood, and waved his hand towards the area behind the ice palace. "He will be in the wastelands. I do not want to see you again without Arawn, Princes, or I will not be as lenient. Now go."

Loki nodded and with a glance to Thor, they were running. They went past a few more frost giants that glared at them, but neither paid any attention. They had been running for some time before a loud hiss hit their ears, and they immediately veered off in the direction it had come from. Stopping on a ridge that overlooked a valley below, Loki immediately summoned his magic, intent on doing the most damage he could.

Below them was a nidhogg, looking much like a king cobra except with six eyes, and three sets of venomous teeth. It scales shimmered in the weak light like opals, and directly across from it was another one. Except this one was red, yellow, and bronze, with amber eyes.

A large hand rested on his shoulder, and he glared up at Laufey. The king must have followed them. "Release me!" he hissed dangerously.

"You are useless in this battle. Arawn chose his form well. A nidhogg's venom will not work on another, and neither will your _magics_," he sneered. "Look closer, Loki Odinson, and see what your son is truly fighting for."

He swallowed a retort and his heart, doing what he was bid, looking closer at the swaying bodies. A faint movement at odds with the fighting caught his eye, and he focused on it. His eyes narrowed, pride and fear warring in his frantically beating heart. "I see…"

"Brother, what?..."

"He's protecting a wolf cub," he said absently, eyes suddenly closed off as he watched the feints and strikes. "The nidhogg must have eaten the mother…"

The serpent struck a blow that opened up a gash along Arawn's scales, and without thinking he reached up and grabbed Laufey's arm tightly. The king said nothing, red eyes narrowing when the man didn't pull away from the frost bite he was sure to be feeling. This would be something he would think on later.

Loki's breath hitched when Arawn leapt, wrapping his body around the nidhogg and sinking all three rows of fangs through the top of the serpents head. The nidhogg fell immediately, and was dead before Arawn unwound himself. Loki didn't even move, he just teleported himself to his sons side, putting a hand on the very warm scales as yellow magic crackled and shimmered over the bronze body. Slowly, leather replaced scales, and his hands were soon resting on a very exhausted, but triumphant looking Arawn.

"Told you I could do it," he grumbled as he got slowly to his feet. Loki helped him, having to swallow his words so he didn't rob his son of his victory. "Right, wolf." Arawn stumbled away and Loki drifted after, and just shook his head when he caught sight of Thor stumbling his way down the cliff face, while Laufey smoothly walked down a set of ice stairs he had created.

Arawn got to the wolf first and immediately sank to his knees, drawing the bundle tightly into his arms. It whimpered, and Loki felt sadness when he looked upon it. It was all black with the red eyes that every being on Jotunheim bore, and it was obviously the runt of the litter. He had seen newly born pups that were twice its size.

"Arawn, why did you save it?" Laufey asked, and his son glared at the blue skinned giant.

"When I got here, the nidhogg was fighting the mother. She had three cubs with her, and when it couldn't eat her, it went after her kids. She left this one here and took off with the others. She left it," his voice got quiet and fierce as he hugged the furry bundle tighter. "She left her here to die."

Loki sighed and knelt behind him, wraping both son and animal in his embrace. Now it was all clear why his son had put himself in so much danger. "It's alright Arawn. We will not let her die. We won't leave her alone. Have you thought of a name?"

Arawn gave him a suspicious look, and Loki blinked when the amber eyes glassed over, going far away. "Morrigan. Her name is Morrigan."

They sharpened instantly but Loki had seen it, a look he had seen on his mothers face. Arawn had simply _known_ her name. Loki nodded and stood, placing it in the back of his mind for the moment. There was something nagging him, as it had when he had first learned his sons name. It flirted with the edges of his thoughts, though this time it was a bit sharper, a bit clearer.

He helped his son to his feet, slinging a steadying arm over his shoulder. It was then Loki realized the 'puppy' filled the expanse of the arms. Arawn leaned into him gratefully as he looked at Laufey. Arawn beat him in speaking though, his words strangely formal.

"Laufey King, I apologize profusely for hunting on your lands, but I bid you to please allow me my kill."

Not even Thor said anything in the sudden gravity of the moment, as the king coldly assessed the boy. "You petition for the kill, but not for the wolf?"

Arawn's chin immediately jerked up, eyes blazing as his hold on the pup tightened. "She is coming with me whether you say yes or no. Morrigan is _mine._"

"So I see." There was a bit of amusement there, and in the smirk. "I have no interest in her other then food, so you can take her and see if the Asgardians can tolerate Jotun blood in their halls."

"I'll _make_ them." The slashing smirk was dangerous and cocky, and Loki blinked to see it. That was pure Anthony. Then it changed, adding a tone a mischief. "And I told you that I could kill one."

Laufey just sneered and turned away. "Leave with your treasures, changed mortal, while I allow it."

Loki saw the wince the name caused, and smirked when Arawn stuck his tongue out at the frost giant's retreating back. With a sigh his son turned and freed his hands from the wolf, though he didn't let her go, making a few signs with them. The corpse of the nidhogg vanished, and Arawn swayed, looking ashen. Loki put his arm back around him, and began walking back towards the Bifrost site. The fight had obviously taken a lot out of his son; he was stumbling every now and then, his usual grace gone. Shape-shifting required control and power - strength wise, his son was fine. However, he had to push more energy into the shift to make up for his lack of control.

Loki sighed silently at the thought. He knew the next step in Arawn's training would be.

They were nearing he Bifrost when the weighty silence was broken. Thor huffed and stopped, turning to Arawn with a glare.

"They are our enemy Arawn! How could you associate with those monsters?"

Arawn flinched, but shot his uncle back a scathing glare. "Because they're not monsters, for one. They're just a different race with a different set of beliefs. You do remember that I'm originally human right? We don't do shit like that. We don't just judge people because they're different like you assholes do!" He shot a look at Loki, and shrugged. "Not you though dad. You don't have KKK issues."

Loki couldn't help but snort even in the seriousness, because Thor looked utterly confused by the reference. He quickly change the subject. "Arawn, how long have you been coming here?"

"Since I was 14."

Thor just looked even more confused, but Loki just nodded. That was the year he had taught his son how to find the hidden doors into the other realms. "Why Jotunheim though?"

Arawn blinked, and his eyes went far away. "I came here by accident the first time, actually. I managed to sneak up on one of them while he was practicing magic, and watched. It really is fascinating…I mean, frost giants are one of the few races that are truly elementals. They can do so many things with ice it surprises me they didn't win the war."

"You were lucky then, foolish nephew," Thor said quietly, watching Arawn with a weighing gaze. "I have heard of the Jotun's magic's, and they are powerful indeed."

Arawn nodded, and motioned to the bridge site with a nod of his head. "Can we continue this at home? Please?"

"Of course," Loki said before Thor could, ignoring the glare his brother gave him. They stepped to the ridge, and he looked up. "Heimdall, open the bridge!"

Not a moment later it did, and they were through to the chamber. Loki gave Heimdall a sharp look. "Did you know of his little jaunts?"

"Dad…"

"I did."

"And you didn't think to say a word?" Loki snapped, the fear for his son still sharp in his veins.

Heimdall just gave him a flat look. "Young Arawn was never in danger. You have done well in teaching him how to protect himself my prince."

Arawn smirked at him, and he just glowered though inside, he was pleased with the praise. He couldn't argue that, so he didn't. "Let us go," he muttered, and even Thor snickered at that one.

They made it to the palace in one piece, and Loki sent Thor to the kitchens to get some meat and water for the pup, while Loki helped wash her. It wasn't until the wolf was in the tub, looking at them resentfully as they cleaned her, that he broached the subject again. It would be awhile before Thor got back; the cooks always gave him a hard time.

"So." That was all Loki said.

Arawn sighed, lovingly scratching Morrigan between the ears and avoiding his gaze. "There was something Tony said. He said that he didn't care if you were straight, gay, black, white, purple, or spotted with a tail; if you give him respect, he'll give it back. I wasn't Asgardian when I first met Laufey, and I think that's what made the difference." He smiled, washing off her face as she tried to lick the water. "But I still had ties with them. He was surprised that a mortal made it into Jotunheim, let alone survived it. And I had sorcery too. So, we made a deal. I told him about Earth, and he schooled me on the culture of the frost giants."

"He didn't ask you about Asgard?" Loki asked sharply, hands stilling in the thick fur.

"He tried. Dad, I'm not that stupid." Arawn sighed tiredly, leaning in and resting his head on the wet one of the canine. Loki's eyes softened as Morrigan licked his face once, but otherwise sat still and simply let him lean on her.

"I know that you're not, Arawn," he said gently, truthfully. "I have never doubted your ability to keep your mouth shut, except when talking to Anthony. How did you plan on getting out if Laufey decided to force you to talk?"

Arawn's grin was sharp and wild even through the curtain of his curly hair. "I had no idea. There were a couple of half-formed ones, mostly relying on you and uncle. I figured that he wouldn't, so we wouldn't start another war. I'm just lucky I was right."

Loki thought of that for a long time, his brain flying through things he wanted to say. He settled on nothing but a small sigh as they finished rinsing off Morrigan. Arawn was correct in assuming that he and Thor would do whatever it took to get Arawn back, no matter where he was. Whether it caused another war or not, neither would let Arawn stay a prisoner.

They got her out of the tub and smothered her in towels as she started to shake, Arawn laughing at the glare she gave them. Soon they had her dried off, and since her fur was so thick, Loki wove a spell to fully dry all the layers. He frowned as he did so.

"She will not be comfortable here," he mused, more to himself then to his son, absently staring at the puffy wolf.

"What do you mean?"

"She has three layers of fur. Good for living in the cold, but bad for living on Asgard. Our temp…"

His mouth dropped open as a shimmer of red energy went over the wolf, and suddenly the fur was lying much flatter than it had been. The fierce mane settled down, giving her a look more of the wolves of Midgard then Jotunheim. Then she yawned, showing off her four rows of sharp teeth, and the comparison vanished.

"Was that…" Arawn asked, awe-struck as he looked at Morrigan. She preened, and Loki swore she was giving them a cocky look.

"Yes. Yes it was."

She trotted over to Arawn's bed and jumped on it, settling down on the end of it as she watched them with head held high, looking like a princess on her throne. Thor barged in at that moment, a bowl in each hand, one with water the other with meat. He almost dropped them when Morrigan jumped straight into the air at the door being slammed open, freezing on all fours. Then she _glared_, baring her teeth, and he started laughing. She growled then, which made Loki and Arawn laugh. She switched her glare to them and jumped off the bed, walking over to them casually.

Then she clamped her jaws once around Arawn's leg, and again on Loki's, her elongated canines sinking deep into the calf muscle.

They yelped and jumped backwards as she glared at them for a moment longer, and turned regally back to the bed. She made herself comfortable and put her head down, covering it with her tail.

Loki swallowed hard, exchanging a look with Arawn. Lips twitched, and suddenly they were laughing again, hard enough to be out of breath. Her tail immediately lifted and her ears went back, red eyes spitting fire. When they didn't stop, she uncoiled her body and launched herself off the bed and right at them.

The three of them proceeded to get into a wrestling match, summoning their leather armor to protect themselves from her teeth. It ended up with them in a sweaty, laughing heap on the floor, her furry body splayed over both of them. Thor was in the corner, a huge smile on his face as he cheered the _wolf_ on.

All in all, it had been a good day.


	6. So It Begins

The next two years leading up to Thor's coronation was both a blessing and a curse for Loki. A blessing, because he got to watch his son grow into a man and a prince. He watched as both son and wolf stopped growing and started putting on true muscle, developing into who they would one day be.

Morrigan was the perfect lady when she wanted to be, and a complete slob when she could could get away with it. It was almost scary watching her get enjoyment out of killing a creature, eating it, and purposely rolling around in the dead body. Those were the time that they refused to give her a bath unless she soaked most of it off first.

The wolf could now speak telepathically with who she wanted to, though Loki and Arawn were the only ones that could speak to her mind to mind. Everyone else had to speak out loud. Her magic only extended into weapons, allowing her to change her fur into whatever she wished. He had seen her shift it to armor and then spikes with a flash of red, all in a single fight. It also sharpened all four rows of teeth, and gave her better senses, but that was it. She liked Thor and Odin well enough, but she would only be around them if either Arawn or Loki were there. Frigga was the only one she actively sought out, and it wasn't a strange sight to see the two of them in the gardens, quietly conversing. Loki personally thought that they were just happy to have another female to talk to, even if one was a wolf.

Arawn had taken to using his shape shifting abilities more often as a way to practice his control, spending as much of his time in wolf form as he did normal. It quickly became a common sight to see Loki walking around with a wolf on either side of him – one black with red eyes, the other rust colored with yellow eyes. People stopped commenting on the sight early on, after everyone had been on their best behaviors. Mostly.

Then Arawn had taken it upon himself to educate the children of the city in the different worlds, specifically Jotunheim. He was promptly found by Thor. Why his son would choose to tell those stories while he in the city with his uncle, Loki would never know.

Then again, he knew his son. Arawn would purposely say that so Thor would hear, knowing it would incite a confrontation.

It was a proud moment as a father when Thor had brought Arawn into the throne room, where Loki had been speaking to Frigga. Morrigan was snapping at his brother, growling low under her breath as the thunder god attempted to make Arawn walk faster. When they got close enough, Thor launched into a tirade about the frost giants, and how Arawn dishonored their house by speaking well about them.

Arawn promptly cut him off.

"First off, I wasn't speaking _well_ of them. I was telling the kids about the _facts_ of the Jotun race that you are too blind to learn. I swear uncle, have you forgotten all the time we spent on Earth? I thought it had changed you for the better." Arawn's words were biting and exasperated, but Thor only scowled at him.

"I have not forgotten what I learned on Midgard, nephew. These are _beasts_ Arawn. They tried to take over your original home and killed helpless people in the process!"

"Did you ever ask _why_?" Arawn snapped back, his cheeks red with anger and eyes sparking. "Did you ever ask any questions? At the time of the war, their numbers were too great for Jotunheim to support all of them. At the time, humans on Earth were few in number, and not very civilized. The plan was never to take over the entire planet, just the top half, so they could have room for their growing families!"

Thor looked taken back, but then his face settled into a familiar, stubborn frown. "They could have found a different way than taking over Midgard!"

"I never said they couldn't!" Arawn yelled, then closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Then he looked back at Thor with a scorching look, voice deadly even. "You need to learn to listen, uncle."

"You twist words just like your father," Thor growled impulsively, and Loki's spine stiffened. Thor instantly looked as though he could take it back, but didn't.

Arawn scoffed, but his eyes glinted dangerously, warningly. "I take pride in that."

"You shouldn't," Thor said clearly, plunging ahead recklessly, as was his nature, just like Loki knew he would. The collective nobles that could hear went silent, and it spread quickly after that.

His son's jaw dropped only slightly, but it was enough to make Thor flinch back slightly. Hurt and rage filled the amber eyes, even as the calm, unsettling mask slid over his face.

Thor opened his mouth to speak, but Arawn beat him to it. "I challenge you, Thor Odinson, for the slur against my father and myself. Name your time and place."

Everyone was surprised, except for Loki, who only closed his eyes and tried to find patience. His son and brother were both hotheaded and stubborn, and this confrontation had been a long time in the making.

"I accept Arawn Lokison. Here, now, with no weapons or magic."

"I accept."

Loki was about to say something, but his mother shaking her head made him stop. Thor dropped Mjolnir and Arawn stalked away from Morrigan, who was sitting primly. It was obvious to Loki though, that if Thor hurt Arawn more then was necessary, she would step in. Loki would also.

It was a fight of strength versus speed. Thor managed to get a few blows in that slowed Arawn down, but he soon had the upper hand by a quick, hard blow on Thor's temple. In that split second that Thor was dazed, Arawn swept Thor's feet from under him. Arawn was on his brother in a moment.

Arawn jabbed his fists repeatedly into Thor's diaphragm in quick succession, then aimed another at his face. Then Arawn rolled him over, his arm snaking around Thor's neck, arms applying pressure to the main veins there, the rest of his body holding the others down. Thor's muscles strained, but Arawn was able to keep him there through sheer stubbornness, sweat pouring down and muscle shaking, but not giving an inch.

Then suddenly he reared back, and slammed down his elbow on the back of Thor's neck. His brother's eyes rolled and down he went. Arawn followed him, hands slapping onto the ground as he panted, his hair covering his face as he shakily got to his feet. He wrapped an arm around his midsection, and Loki narrowed his eyes. _They must be broken, and not cracked for him to be holding them like that._

Arawn let his eyes scan around the silent, shocked crowd, stopping Thor's merry band of men in their tracks. "If I hear any word from _any_ of you against my father's honor, or mine, it will be a fight to the death."

Arawn swept out of the room, followed by Morrigan, who sent an ominous growl through the room before they exited. Thor's 'friends' rushed to his side, but Loki quickly followed his son as the room exploded with noise behind him. He smirked proudly at the thought that his son had just beaten Asgard's golden boy. He soon arrived at his sons door, and sent out a questioning curl of magic. Arawn answered with a welcoming one, and he opened the door.

Arawn was sitting on the end of the bed, a softly glowing yellow hand pressed to his ribs. Morrigan was sprawled out behind him, and he was using her as a prop. He shut the door, then turned and leaned on it, thumbs tucking into the pockets of his pants.

"Did you do it on purpose?" he asked quietly, knowing his son knew what he meant.

Arawn snorted, his hair moving in a slight shake. "Not really. A group of kids asked about Morri, so I started explaining and, well..." He sighed out a laugh. "I got carried away."

"And then Thor." His lips quirked slightly in bitter amusement.

"Yea." Arawn finally looked at up at then, and Loki gave him a tired smile. He went over and sat at his side, leaning against Morrigan as well as he casually placed his hand on Arawn's. He channeled his sorcery into the healing his son was doing, finishing in a minute what would have taken almost an hour.

"Hmm, you're shape-changing is paying off. You were much more focused this time." The yellow eyes lit in excitement then, such a strong change that it caught Loki completely off guard. "Oh! Last night, after dinner, I convinced grandma to teach me healing! She thinks it will help my control too!"

Loki couldn't stop the smile at his sons enthusiasm. "She would be correct, it will help. You may want to try the chief healer in medical as well, if you're truly interested."

Arawn opened his mouth to reply, but a quiet knock silenced him. "Brother, nephew...may I enter?" Thor called from the other side, voice calm and surprisingly solemn.

_"Let him in," _Morrigan said with a yawn, and making both of them glare at her. _"You know he feels guilty about what happened, and if he's guilty, he regrets it. Regret is good."_

Arawn's face tightened, but he nodded. Loki stood and opened the door, ushering Thor in with a slightly mocking wave of his hand. His brother made a face at him as he entered, then hung his head as Loki closed the door.

"I came to apologize, to both of you. I...could have approached the situation differently."

Loki just tilted his head to the side as he examined the man standing in front of him. "Quietly would have been a good start."

"Uncle, I accept. I don't wish for anymore fights." Arawn said quickly, burying his face in Morrigan's furry neck. His voice was tired, and Thor shot him a look before his face softened when he looked at Arawn.

"Loki, and you?" Thor said with a bit of bite, and Loki smiled broadly with all his teeth.

"I accept." Thor smiled in relief, then his smile turned mocking. "However, I will beat some sense into you very soon, brother."

Thor's return smile was a bit blood thirsty, a bit darker then what Loki was used to. "I look forward to it, Loki. I was wondering, brother, nephew, if you'd join me on a hunt tonight, and we can roast boar under the stars."

Loki glanced at Arawn, but Morrigan nodded for him. _"We accept Thor. At what time would you like us to meet you?"_

Now Thor's face was beaming. "An hour before sunset Lady Morrigan. Shall we take the horses?"

"_How would you like to hunt as a wolf?"_ Morrigan's voice was sly, and Thor looked confused as Loki narrowed his eyes at her in surprise.

_"Do not volunteer our services, my dear, so willingly,"_ he muttered.

"A wolf, milady? I have no magics like that…"

_"You will see," _ was all she said.

An hour before sunset they met outside the stables. Morrigan grinned, showing her teeth, and padded over to Arawn. She pressed her nose to his chest, and a wave of red sorcery washed over her, and then onto him. As soon as it settled onto his skin, he blinked.

"No shit?" he breathed, eyes wide.

_"All you have to do is shape it,"_ she returned, puffing with pride.

Arawn grinned widely, hands raising. "Well then."

"Arawn, what-" was all Thor got out before he smoothly transitioned into a wolf. He stumbled on his sudden four feet, then looked back and gaped at his tail.

_"This is most strange...and wonderous."_ He looked back at Morrigan with new respect and took a few steps forward. _"I can understand now why you both take this form so often."_

Both he and Arawn shifted forms after that, and the four of them went into the wilds of Asgard, only shifting back when Loki caught a large boar. They set up camp while Morrigan gnawed on a deer she had taken down, and Loki did something for his brother and his son that he hadn't done since they were children.

He used his magic and his inherent affinity for fire to create illusions from the flame, spinning tales from their childhood and others he had heard on Midgard. The night ended with laughter and full bellies, and Loki went to sleep with a smile on his face.

The Thor of that night was how he often liked to remember his brother. Open, curious, laughing...

After that however, the last year before Thor would take Odin's place, was a living hell for him.

Arawn and Morrigan tried to do their best, but there was nothing they could do about the growing darkness in him, the madness that flirted with the edges of his mind. He was always bitter, and his relationship with his brother was growing strained because of it. Thor could not see Odin as he did, could not see himself as Loki did, could not see what it was that made him so unhappy. He felt like a child with his feelings and thoughts, but he could not change them, no matter what he did.

He stopped talking to Odin all together, except when forced to. Most of his time was spent in his rooms reading, or out in the gardens with Morrigan. Arawn often joined him, but he was making an effort to try and teach Thor that there was more to being a king then having your people worship you, and making war. He was still set on destroying all of the frost giants, despite the lessons that Arawn tried to hammer into his skull. It was one such afternoon when Arawn came storming into his chambers, a frustrated, disgusted look on his face. Even Morrigan was bristling with it.

Loki just sighed silently, and closed the book.

"My uncle is a thick skulled idiot, that can't tell his own ass from a hole in the ground!" As he spoke, Arawn poured himself a glass of mead, and downed it.

Loki cocked an eyebrow. Arawn rarely drank. "What has my foolish brother done now?"

"_Nothing_! That's the problem! He won't listen to me! He still has the plans to start another war with Jotunheim after he is made king." He ran his hands over and over again through his hair, messing up the wavy, red locks and making it stick in every direction. "He just doesn't get it! We have the Casket, so all they have left is their affinity to ice. They would be slaughtered!"

"Thor doesn't care," he said quietly.

"I know! Ugh, I'm done. I'm sick of trying. We're going out for a run, want to join us?" He turned towards the door, as Loki considered. Thinking that a run will do him good, he set the book down and stood, stretching.

"Did you want to run as wolves?" he asked, as he followed his son through the palace and to the ground out back.

Arawn didn't even answer, just shifted his form, and Loki followed suit. They just ran, well into the night, not arriving back at the palace until dawn. Then all three collapsed into Loki's bed, Arawn sandwiched between Morrigan and Loki, and fell into dreamless sleep.

That year was all about Thor's coronation. The man himself – Loki loathed to call him brother anymore – became absolutely insufferable. His head was filled with glorious plans to hunt down and destroy the frost giants, of the different ways he would make Asgard _proud_ and _shining_ once again. He positively _soaked_ in all the admiration everyone was giving him, telling him what a _wonderful_ king he would be. His cocky attitude was grating and demeaning to them, since he often ordered them around, or tried to.

Loki, Arawn, and Morrigan spent as much time out of the palace as they could, until his mother called them on it. Then, it was only three months until the coronation, and Loki got into the worst fight with his father that he could remember having.

"Loki, my son, I cannot have you out of the palace when there are so many things to be done!" Odin said sternly, fixing his youngest with a glare.

Loki had to bite his tongue. Hard. "I did not realize my absence was missed, father." He winced on the inside, but held his pleasant mask. So much for biting his tongue. That came out far more bitter then he would have liked.

Odin frowned. "You have duties as Prince of Asgard-"

His short, bitter bark of a laugh stopped the words, and made Odin's face thunderous. Frigga looked pained from where she was sitting next to her husband.

"_Duties._" His voice was scathing. He knew he should watch his words, to be careful, but this ugly emotion was gnawing at his chest, ripping his heart apart, and digging sharp claws into his mind. "Duties to follow after Thor, to be his shadow, to tell people what a _great_ and _glorious_ king he will be? _Spare me_. Thor will begin his rule with blood and death, and you are to blind to see it!" He snapped his mouth shut and carefully pulled his mask back, forcing his harsh breathing to calm. He tilted his head down. "Forgive me father." The words turned to ash on his tongue.

"You do not know the pressures of ruling Loki," Odin said quietly, proving his very point, and blood filled Loki's mouth. He had bitten through his tongue. "Do not begrudge your brother for his thoughts and wishes. They are different from actions."

He tried to keep his words in. A litany was running through his head of 'keep your mouth shut, don't say a word', and he tried. However, a slow, sick smile spread his lips, and he felt a trickle of blood creep from the corner of his mouth and roll down his skin. He slowly raised his head, and took vicious satisfaction at the flinch he saw come from his father.

"Begrudge? _Begrudge?_ I do no such thing, father," he said, purposely keeping his tone sickly sweet and malicious. "Why, I would never tell him to stop his thoughts on _killing an entire race. _I even try to give him advice, to try to look at the bigger picture, but I will never _begrudge_ him his small minded views on the world. _Never_ would I-"

"Loki!"

He snapped his mouth shut at his mother's sharp word, hanging his head as he swallowed a mouthful of blood. He didn't look up even as he felt her presence in front of him, her hand coming out to wipe the liquid from his chin.

"My son. Your brother is…drunk with the thought of power right now. His mind and ambitions will cool with time."

He looked up at her, cocking an eyebrow disbelievingly. He could tell that she truly believed that, and forced his words back with another swallow. "Of course mother." No matter how much he hated his father, and disliked his brother at the moment, he could never speak sharply to her. She was the only one that was equally on his side, as much as she was on Thor's. He had never gotten the sense that she loved one of them above the other.

With her, they had always been equal.

He pressed a light kiss to her cheek, and without saying another word, turned and strode out of the throne room. His feet took him to the large training courtyard where he heard growls and grunts, and he stopped in the shadows at what he found.

Arawn and Morrigan were sparring, her fur changed into armor, and she was dodging the lightning quick strikes of his sons blades. With a smirk, he created a clone and sent it into the melee, as he changed his clothing to battle leathers. He was impressed when neither of them broke stride, immediately turning to the new threat like the team they were.

He switched himself with the clone, and had to dodge out of the way of a lethal strike from Morrigan's claws, only to be forced into a battle with Arawn. He was able to keep them both at bay with a mix of weapons and magic, and when Arawn's blade went for his throat, he had a very evil idea.

He dodged and held out a hand, summoning the weapon that had chosen him. In a flash of gold light, Gungnir appeared in his hand, and he smirked at the roar of outrage from the throne room. He twirled and settled into a new stance with the spear pointed at them, and smirked widely. Arawn just shook his head, laughing, and twirled the daggers in his hands.

They fought for the remainder of the day, Loki giving them pointers on how to work as a team against a stronger opponent. He was able to look back on memories of him and Thor without the bitterness, searching them for anything that would help his son and partner.

Sunset found him stripped down to his leather pants, cross-legged on the side of the ring with Gungnir held loosely across his lap. The night breeze was cooling his heated skin as he watched with sharp eyes.

"Arawn! Use your legs more! Morrigan! Turn your tail into a weapon and use that. It will give you an advantage." They both just nodded to him and followed his directions, and he settled back again. It was then that a familiar presence settled at his side, and he smiled easily over at his brother. The exercise had done him good in releasing the stress.

"You wield Gungnir well brother," Thor said with a large grin, and Loki shrugged easily, absently running a finger over the golden length.

"Staffs and spears have always been favorites of mine Thor, you know this."

"Ah, and daggers."

Loki chuckled quietly, grinning. "Yes, well, they are far more subtle then Mjolnir."

"Ha! I cannot deny that claim brother. Though Mjolnir has little reason to be subtle."

Loki just nodded in agreement, and they fell silent as they continued to watch the two. It was peaceful for the next hour, as the two sat and called out tips to Arawn and Morrigan, often getting a snarling responses that made them laugh.

Then, "Dinner is ready. Mother requested me to come get you and my nephew."

Just like that his good mood was gone, and he sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I will not be dining with you tonight brother."

"But, Loki-"

He held up a hand, stopping his brother. "No Thor. Father and I…got into it today, as Arawn says. I have no wish to see him again anytime soon."

Thor gave him a knowing look – their spats had been happening more frequently – and stood. "Arawn! Will you and Lady Morrigan be joining us for dinner?"

They stopped, and Arawn looked at Loki questioningly. He shook his head, and Arawn shrugged. "No thanks uncle. Oh! But tell grandmother that I need my book of herbs back."

Thor frowned, and Loki smiled slightly in pride. Arawn just rolled his eyes as he and Morrigan walked over. "They're for healing uncle. There is a child down in the city that I need to make a tonic for."

"Will you not let the healers handle it?"

Arawn held out his arms, showing newly tattooed runes that curved along his forearms, nearly covering them entirely. They were the same tattoos that only belonged to three people on Asgard. Arawn, Frigga, and Bjorg, the man in charge of all the palace healers. Thor blinked, and bent down to get a closer look, careful not to touch them. They had powerful magics written into them, and it took them as long to heal as if they were mortal. There was currently a thin yellow shield around them, protecting them until the magics had settled in.

"When did you become a Master Healer, nephew?"

Arawn puffed up in pride. "Almost a week ago now. Grandmother has been a great help."

Thor glared at Loki accusingly. "You never said anything."

Loki just shrugged, but Arawn growled. "It was my choice, uncle. I didn't want anyone to know until I achieved the status, and _you_ haven't been around in over two weeks."

Thor had the grace to blush, and Loki smirked to see it. "I apologize nephew. I have been…busy lately."

"Yea, going out on hunts with your friends and ignoring your family," Arawn muttered bitterly, and Loki flinched slightly to hear it, anger building again. Arawn had loved spending time with Thor, back before everything had begun to fall apart.

"That was not my intention, nephew," Thor said quietly, looking truly contrite. Then he brightened. "Tomorrow! Tomorrow we shall spend the day together, and you can tell me all about your new title, mighty Wolf Brother."

Arawn just snickered at the title Odin had bestowed on him, and nodded. "Alright uncle. Tomorrow. But I swear, if you back out of this, I will never forgive you."

Thor smiled brightly, and nodded. "Tomorrow morning at the gates then?"

Arawn nodded. "Tomorrow at the gates."

The morning came swiftly, and Loki stood with Arawn at the gates as morning began to give way to afternoon, and his heart clenched in his chest. Arawn looked at the sun, eyes glittering with tears he'd never shed, and he just shook his head sadly. Swallowing his own emotions, Loki put a hand on his sons shoulder, and smiled slightly when he looked at him.

"I will accompany you to the city my son, if you'd like."

Arawn looked away, a sad smile on his face as he reached up and squeezed his hand once. "Thanks dad."

That day was the beginning of the end of everything that had been true in their lives. That day, something changed in them, father and son, that would never be fixed again.

* * *

**A/N: A few days early for you peoples. This is the last chapter in the pre-Thor/Avengers arc, and the next one will be Thor. **

**Enjoy!**


	7. Thor

**A/N: I was going to put these next three chapters as a different story, but decided against it. **

**They will be as follows: Thor, Loki's Fall, and Avengers.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

"Brother, you can never be sincere," Thor said with a grin, looking over at him.

Loki sighed, and turned to fully face his brother. "I have looked forward to this day for a long time." His lips quirked ruefully. "Perhaps now father will leave me alone in peace."

Thor just snorted slightly. "Good luck with that brother. Now, go. I must prepare."

Loki nodded shortly and strode out of the waiting room, entering the throne room as though he owned it. He may not be king, but he was still a figure of respect, and sometimes fear amongst those he lived with.

Arawn and Morrigan were by Frigga, resplendent in her golden dress, conversing quietly. He joined them, ignoring Volstagg as he called an insult about still being a prince and not king. With an idle wave of his hand, and not breaking stride, he turned the curly beard into snakes. He relished the shriek of surprise, and shrugged when his mother gave him an amused, exasperated look. With another wave, the snakes were gone and the beard was back.

Before he could say a word, Odin struck the bottom of Gungnir against the marble floor, a signal that it was time to begin. They all took their places as Arawn shifted into wolf form, he and Morrigan sitting on either side of him on the steps.

"_I have planned a prank, father,"_ Arawn said into his mind, and Loki smirked slightly as Thor began to walk down the aisle. He nearly rolled his eyes as his brothers theatrics, humming curiously in the back of his throat. The roaring of the crowd was so loud, only the two next to him heard it.

"_I was wondering why you shifted into a wolf," _Morrigan added, none of them showing any outward sign of the conversation.

"_What is this prank, my son?"_

"_Oh you'll see. Hopefully this will make grandfather see some reason when it comes to my darling uncle being king."_

Loki did look at Arawn then, brows knitting in a frown. It was not like his son to sound so bitter – so much like him – but he had been changing towards Thor since he had not shown up at the gates to the city two months past.

So he waited, and clenched his teeth as Odin was about to decree Thor king, when the one blue eye sharpened, and went far away.

"Frost giants."

After the enlightening entertainment between the two of them, Arawn and Loki headed to the hall where the feast was laid out, arriving before Thor even did. Morrigan was laying on the ledge, overlooking Asgard. They stood against a pillar, and Loki grinned at his son after making sure they were alone. "I do believe that was a lovely prank, my son."

Arawn returned the look. "Why thank you father. You do know what uncle is going to want to do after this, right?"

Loki just nodded, watching out of the corner of his eye as Thor stormed in, and turned over the table with a roar of anger. Sighing, he sidled around the pillar, and sat next to his brother.

He was so very predictable. The righteous anger, always believing his way to be the right way.

"It's unwise to be in my company right now, brother," Thor said testily, hands clenching and unclenching in his anger.

Loki barely contained a smirk. "Whoever said I was wise?"

They were silent for a moment, surveying the wreckage, and then Thor spoke quietly. "This was to be my day of triumph."

_This is all too easy,_ he thought to himself, almost gleefully. The display in the vault had only solidified the knowledge that Thor would make a terrible king, at least until he learned how to stop making rash decisions. Loki could only hope that this would show Odin how shallow a man Thor was...and show his brother how much he needed to change.

"It will come, in time." He looked away once, and then back, his lies coming easily to him. "If it's any consolation, I think you're right. About the frost giants, about Laufey, everything. If a few of them could penetrate the defenses of Asgard once, who's to say they won't try again? Next time with an army."

"Exactly!" Thor agreed hotly, and Loki smirked mentally.

"But there's nothing we can do without defying father." _Hook, line, and sinker_. The plan solidified in his mind at the look on Thor's face, but he still had a part to play.

His eyes widened in alarm.

"No. No no no no no no, I know that look."

[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]

After that, Loki found himself in Jotunheim for the second time in his life, walking behind Thor on his left, Arawn and Morrigan to the right, and the warrior idiots ranged behind them. He knew the outcome of this visit would be vastly different then the last one, however.

"Where are they?" Sif asked softly as they continued closer to the broken palace.

"Hiding like the cowards they are," Thor scoffed, and Loki just shook his head. He could see the warriors stationed in alcoves in the ice, watching them like hawks. Unlike their own warriors however, these would not attack unless given a direct command from Laufey.

They finally made it to where the king sat, and Thor's face was like a thunderhead.

"I am Thor of Asgard, and-"

"I know who you are, Prince." He pointedly looked right past Thor and to Arawn and Morrigan, his son giving the king a half-smile as he bowed.

Loki was darkly amused to see all the faces around him go nearly purple with rage at the disrespect of Thor.

"Laufey King. I apologize for not visiting recently."

Loki hummed thoughtfully to himself as those red eyes warmed slightly. He had not realized that the giant felt any true affection for his son. He could use this, if it came to it. "You have been most remiss in your visits, changed mortal. Twice since you slay the nidhogg. You wear the skin well."

Arawn couldn't hide the flash of pride as he swept his saffron colored cloak away. He had commissioned two sets of clothing from the nidhogg's skin. His battle armor, and the more formal clothing that they wore now. This set merely had stripes of the scales along the edges, more as decoration than anything else. His battle armor however, was made purely out of the serpents skin, spelled from the inside to change the color to black. A nidhogg's scales couldn't be penetrated by any sort of magic, but the inside was just as vulnerable as anything else. He could do nothing about the sheen however; the armor looked like an oil slick.

"My thanks, Laufey King. It was generous of you to allow me my kill."

"Laufey King!" Thor's voice was sharp, and any sort of softness dropped suddenly from the kings face. Loki froze, flexing his fingers and rotating his wrists in an unconscious gesture. "Your frost giants broke into our weapons vault. I wish to know why!"

Laufey only tilted his head slightly, a smirk slowly appearing on his blue lips. "There is a traitor in the house of Odin."

"Do not dishonor my father's name such!" Thor's hand tightened on Mjolnir threateningly.

Laufey suddenly stood, face set in stone. "You did not come here for answers, Thor Odinson. You came here for war, and you have no knowledge of what your actions threaten." The red eyes darkened. "I do."

"I demand an answer!" Thor shouted, ignoring the frost giants that surrounded them. No one else did. Arawn, Morrigan, and Loki were the only ones that refused to shift in apprehension at the looming figures.

"Leave, now, while I still allow it, Prince of Asgard." His voice was a deep, ominous rumble, and a giant among giants emerged from the shadows below Laufey, striding towards them unhurriedly. A frisson of fear snaked up Loki's spine, and he quickly stepped forward, putting a hand on Thor's arm.

"We graciously accept your offer," he said smoothly.

"Know your place brother," Thor growled, but Loki paid him no mind, his eyes on the giant standing in front of them. He felt Thor waver as he finally looked around.

"Come on brother," he growled then, dropping Thor's arm and turning, sighing silently in relief when Thor followed. _The fact that Thor had came will be more than enough for father to see how foolish and reckless –_

"Run home little princess."

"Damn," he muttered, hearing the words from the frost giant. He was already summoning his daggers as Thor turned, Mjolnir striking the giant across the face and sending him flying.

"Next?"

_You're a fucking idiot Thor!_ He grumbled in his mind as he began to duck and weave around the frost giants; magic, daggers, and illusions setting his blood on fire like few things could. He fell into the familiar pattern of split-second decisions, making plans, modifying them, discarding them, only for new ones to take place. His heart pounded, a grim smile on his face as he whirled, long daggers in his hands as he hamstringed two giants at the same time. He took a moment to look around, wincing when a giant managed to grab the arm of Volstagg.

"Don't let them touch you!" the male yelled, but Loki wasn't paying attention anymore. He had three giants on his tail, and he cast simultaneous spells. He teleported himself to behind an ice pillar, while an illusion of him stopped at the edge and twirled. The giants took it to be him, just like he intended, and all three of them went over the edge when they tried to tackle it. He twisted his hand to dismiss the illusion, and threw himself back into the fray.

"We need to go Thor!" he yelled at his brother, eyes casting around as more and more giants started to pour into the battle.

"Then go!" Thor yelled back, smacking another giant into the wall.

Cursing when he saw a giant go for Thor's back, he stepped into his brothers circle, and flinched when the giant grabbed his arm.

Then, his world cracked into several pieces as his leather and armor fell apart from being frozen, and instead of his skin turning black from frost bite, it turned blue. Jotun blue.

He blinked, and he and the giant looked at each other in surprise, right before he put his dagger through the side of his head. The giant fell, and for a long moment he stared at his bare arm, the scorching madness that he had been trying so hard to contain, beginning to crack and spread.

_What the hell just happened..._

A cry of pain snapped him back to the present, and he cursed under his breath. Hogun and Arawn pulled Fandral from a spear of ice, and he knew it was time for a retreat. He thought of calling to his brother again, but knew the look of battle fever, and decided against it. Thor would follow them…he hoped.

As they began to run, Morrigan yelled at him. _"We got an ice beast! I'll hold it off!"_

"_Morri, no!"_ Arawn yelled, and Loki chanced a glance back, and abruptly started cursing.

"Take everyone to the Bifrost site!" he yelled at Sif, and without waiting for her to acknowledge his words, he joined his son and wolf in fighting off the beast. He dodged an attack from its claws, but Morrigan wasn't so lucky. She screamed a howl as the claws raked across her side, causing her to stagger and go down. Loki turned to the beast as hate and fear boiled through him, Arawn at his side.

They moved with deadly precision, wasting no movements as they systematically cut the beasts limbs from it. Then Arawn raised his daggers and elongated them with magic, cutting off the beasts head. The red eyes went lifeless, and Loki turned to Morrigan. She was staggering on her feet, red blood staining the ice and snow below her. Somehow the claws had gotten through her armor, and dug deep.

"_I will be fine father, brother," _she said with nods to them, even though her red eyes were tight with pain. Arawn shifted into a wolf, supporting her as they ran for the Bifrost site, arriving just as Thor landed from the skies. Loki had no time to consider the events that just happened. His mind was blessedly numb with battle adrenaline, and he could only hope it stayed that way.

The sickness in his stomach knew it wouldn't last.

He turned, daggers at the ready as Laufey approached, muscle coiled and alert. He didn't dare turn around when the Bifrost opened even though Thor did, unconsciously watching everyone's back. He knew who it was the moment he heart the whinny, and the thunder of eight hooves.

Sleipnir, the beautiful horse that he had unknowingly made. It had been back when he was first delving into the more forbidden arts, tampering with living beings. He had been practicing the power on a mare, changing her coat, without knowing that she had been with foal. The stallion that was produced had eight legs, twisted from his magic.

His heart still ached when he thought of all the health problems the foal had gone through. It was only because of his mother that he had lived, but in the end, Sleipnir was a horse that rivaled no other.

When Laufey rose on the ice to meet his father – _was he his father?_ – he relaxed as the giants ranged in front of him did. Only then did he warily turn to face Odin.

"All-father. You're looking weary." Laufey was amused again, though it held a darker edge then before.

"Laufey. End this now."

"You're boy sought this out, All-father."

Odin hesitated, and though he showed nothing of it, a flash of cruel satisfaction shot through Loki. It was quickly followed by disgust at himself for the emotion, and though he tried, he couldn't push it completely away. Something clawed sharply at the edges of his mind that he refused to pay attention to.

"You're right. These are the actions of a boy. Treat them as such."

Thor puffed up as though to say something, but Odin gave him a sharp, disappointed look. "Silence!"

Laufey didn't look away, but his face grew harder. "You're boy will get what he came from. War…_death_." The word was said softly, though it wasn't any less dangerous for the quiet.

Odin nodded his head once, shallowly, in acknowledgement. "So be it."

Laufey went to strike, but Odin raised Gungnir, and they were all transported back to the chamber. Loki paid close attention to the words between his brother and father, even as Arawn shifted and the two of them set to healing Morrigan. He winced internally as Arawn's eyes got bigger at the events unfolding in front of them, shining with surprise and guilt.

"_Hide your emotions my son,_" he said sharply into his mind, and like a steel trap, the amber eyes were clear again.

He tuned back in to hear Odin say, "You're right. I am a fool. A fool to think that you were ready for the throne."

"Father," he began, but was cut off with a loud yell. He straightened and cast his eyes down, while inward he was dancing with glee. Then Odin opened the Bifrost again, and he was left standing there in complete shock as his father disowned his other son.

_That was not supposed to happen_, he thought almost hysterically, tearing apart the urge to laugh. _That wasn't part of the plan._

"Grandfather!" Arawn cried after Odin had thrown Mjolnir, but Odin didn't respond. He simply turned and walked out. Morrigan got to her feet.

"_What just happened?"_ she asked softly, as they followed slowly after his father.

"_Uncle_ _Thor was banished to Midgard._" Even Arawn's mental voice was shaking.

Morrigan cocked her head. _"That is not a bad thing, right? He has been there before."_

"_This time is different. Now he's mortal..." _

Loki had to grab his son as he started shaking, face pale and eyes wide.

"D-dad…I didn't, I mean…I didn't want this to happen!" Arawn cried, and Loki wrapped him in a tight hug. His mind was going at a frantic pace, plans and machinations being formed, discarded, edited, and he knew. He knew what he was going to do.

He would right everything in one brilliant, mad plan.

"Arawn, shh," he whispered soothingly, running a hand through the curly red hair. "No one could have envisioned father banishing Thor. I was even surprised with it. I have a plan, however."

"Just one?" The amused, thick words were said into his chest, and he smiled slightly.

"No, not just one. I will need you to go to Midgard, and Anthony until this is all over. If this is what makes Thor into a better king – no, a better man, then I will follow through with it."

Arawn pulled back, and gave him a frowning, searching look. "And get some revenge in the process?"

His smile was sharp, the edges threatening to break into madness. "You know me too well my son."

"Dad, I don't like this," Arawn said softly, reaching up and touching the corner of his mouth. His smile fell away instantly. "I don't like this darkness in you."

Loki closed his eyes, leaning forward to press his forehead against Arawn's. "I don't either," he admitted, because he never lied to his son. "I have not been able to get rid of it however…and I am not sure I want to. My plans would be much harder if I was completely sane."

Arawn snorted, and pulled away. Loki was glad to see the previous panic was gone, replaced by a quiet sadness and amusement. "Alright, I will go along with this asinine plan of yours. When do you want me to leave?"

Loki looked at his hand, frowning, then clenched it into a fist. "There is something I need to tell you, and show you first. Come with me to the weapons vault."

Arawn frowned in confusion, but nodded.

Loki went to see the warriors first, finding them in Thor's receiving area, pacing around the large fire that was there. He entered just in time to hear Volstagg ask, "Who told the guard in the first place?"

"I did," he said, stepping fully into the room, head held high like the prince he was. Arawn had told the guard, but he refused to let his son take any blame. He was used to being the scapegoat anyway.

"You?!" Fandral exclaimed hotly, looking to get up. Loki glared, stopping the man in his tracks.

"Yes, me. The guard should be flogged for his speed. We never should have reached Jotunheim."

"Loki, you must go to the king and petition for Thor to come back," Sif said, and he nearly growled at her simpering tones. How he hated that woman.

"Why?" he asked sharply. "You saw him today. Brash, reckless. He started a new war! Is that what Asgard needs from her king?"

He turned and left before he said more, making sure the doors slammed behind him. He stopped for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Then he made his way down to the weapons vault, finding Arawn and Morrigan already there, inspecting a few of the weapons that were stored.

"Hey dad. So what did you want to tell me?"

Loki said nothing, but motioned with his hand for Arawn to follow him. He went to the Casket, and motioned for Arawn to place a hand on the other handle. His son looked confused, but did as he asked. Slowly, Arawn's jaw dropped as their hands turned blue, eyes going wide.

"Stop!"

They both froze at Odin's voice.

"Are we cursed?" he asked quietly, the blue creeping more and more along his skin. He could feel the heat being stripped away from him, and the cold was surprisingly soothing to his tangled emotions.

"No."

He took his hand off the Casket and Arawn did the same. They both turned to face Odin, even as Morrigan walked up and casually licked Arawn's face. Since she was from the icy world, the arctic feel of his skin had no effect on her.

"Then what are we?"

"You are my family."

"What more than that?" Arawn asked softly, as the blue began to recede from their skin, red eyes being replaced by emerald and amber. Loki frowned, reading the weariness his father held, the burdens that he was trying too hard to hide, and suddenly it made sense.

"The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?" Odin was silent, jaw working as they both watched him accusingly.

"No." There was a moment of silence. "In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the temple, and found a baby. Small for a giant's offspring; alone, suffering, left to die. Laufey's son."

Loki's eyes went wide as Arawn made a small noise of surprise. He was…_I am_…

"Why?" He voice cracked and was hoarse, but he didn't care. "You were knee deep in Jotun blood, why would you take me?"

"Because you were an innocent." Odin's voice was tired, almost pleading.

"No. You took me for a purpose." Loki's mind was reeling, and he absently clenched a hand in Morrigan's fur when she moved next to him. "What was it?" When Odin remained silent, his control broke. He needed to know. _I can't live and not know! _"TELL ME!"

Odin hesitated once more, resigned and sad, then opened his mouth. "I thought that one day we could unite our people in a permanent peace, through you. But those plans no longer matter."

Loki felt the tears in his eyes, but he didn't care. He had thought he had hated his father before – _not my father_ – but it had been a drop in the bucket compared to now. Vaguely he heard Arawn speaking, and had to fight with himself to pull his mind from the dark, spiraling, cackling vortex it was slipping into.

"Even when we joined you didn't say anything grandfather. How…how could you do that to him? To us? To not say anything about our heritage…that is beyond despicable!"

"So I am nothing more than a-a stolen relic," he hissed, uncaring of the emotions he was showing through his words. "Locked up here until you have use for me."

Odin shook his head, looking even more tired. "No, no. Why do you twist my words?"

"You could have told me! Why didn't you?"

"You are my son Loki. I only wanted to protect you from the truth."

Something settled in his chest that he refused to name. Betrayal was only one of them. Stories that he had heard growing up, some of them from Odin's own mouth. "Because I am the monster that people tell their children about."

"Don't…"

"So this is why you favored Thor above me. It all makes sense now." He didn't realize he had advanced to Odin until he found himself spitting the words in his face, emotions twisting in ugly, snarling patterns.

"Listen…"

"No...no! Because no matter how much you claim to love me, you couldn't have a frost giant on the throne of Asgard!"

"Loki, my son, listen to me!"

Loki strode past him, jaw clenched so he couldn't say anything else, determined to get to a private place where he can vent his feelings and try to make sense of all of it. He was to the door, when he heard Arawn cry out behind him.

"Grandfather!"

He whipped around, hating that traitorous part of him that had a mild panic attack at seeing Odin so still and pale on the floor. He knelt down, and hesitantly touched a warm hand, having to swallow and fight back tears. He carefully pulled the shattered pieces of his mask around him, taking a deep breath and looking to his son.

"Let us get him back to his chambers. He has fallen into Odin-sleep."

They both used their sorcery to take Odin back to Frigga, and she was the one who erected the protective aura that would aide him in sleep. He settled on one side of his father, Arawn sitting at his feet as he carded his hands through the red hair, painfully collecting the pieces of himself.

Finally, after hours of sitting in silence with his mother, he could stand the silence no more. "Mother…did you know of my heritage?"

She gave him a gentle, tired look. "I knew, my son."

"Why…why did you lie?"

"We never wanted you to feel different. I wanted to tell you when my grandson joined us, but your father overruled my wishes. You are our son Loki. Being a frost giant doesn't change that, anymore then Arawn being human stopped us from taking him into our family."

He had to look away from the love in her eyes at those words. No matter what he felt towards his other family, he could never feel anything negative for his mother. She had gone out of her way more times than he could count to treat him equally, and he would not sully the sacrifices she had made for him.

"You musn't give up hope my son, that your father and brother will return to us. You have much to talk about."

He frowned. "What hope is there for Thor?"

She just smiled. "There is a reason for everything your father does."

He was about to respond when the doors opened, and a councilman walked in. In his hands, was Gungnir. He stood swiftly, wondering what this was about, when his mother spoke.

"You are the next in line, Loki Odinson. As such, it is your duty to protect Asgard as her king until your father awakens."

Joy, triumph, quickly followed by bitterness and a screaming panic. He didn't want the throne. This prank was never supposed to go this far. He only wanted Odin to admit that he and Thor were equals, for his brother to learn humility...

Yet, as he took Gungnir from the man and felt the true, full power of the spear in his hand, welcoming him as the king of Asgard, something inside his mind twisted, slipped, and broke.

A small grin curled his lips.

If he were to be king, then he would _enjoy_ it. He would use this opportunity to _prove_ to his father that he was a worthy son, that he was Thor's equal.

He _would._

[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]

Arawn left for Midgard the next day, and Loki was free to complete his plans. It was along this way that he realized something that really shouldn't have surprised him, but actually did.

He would do anything for his brother.

He wanted Thor to become a better person, to actually be the king and man that he knew was inside that thick skull. He had thought he was seeing it when they had been on Midgard together, but as he watched him with the mortal, Jane, he realized that maybe he had just needed a different – human – touch.

He also got great, cruel delight in reminding Heimdall that he was the king, and the idiot warriors. That had been a very pleasurable experience.

He could not forgive his father though. No matter how much he thought on it, or how he reasoned with himself, the hatred grew and blossomed into something darker, venomous…homicidal.

That was how he found himself in front of Laufey for a third time, offering something that he never thought he would.

The death of Odin.

He had already told his brother that he was dead, all he needed to do now was follow through with his then lie, and make it truth.

Then Heimdall took it upon himself to allow the warriors passage to Midgard. He had expected it, but the deed would not go unpunished.

Using the Casket filled him with smooth power, that tasted of deep snow and spoke of cracking glaciers. It was addicting and sweet, but underneath it all was a potency that he knew to be wary of. He exhaled the breath he had been holding as he waved it into a pocket dimension, eyeing Heimdall curiously as the blue faded from his skin. He felt no remorse for what he did, but his mind always sought knowledge, and encasing people in ice was a first for him. He sent out a whisper of magic and knew that the god was still alive.

He turned with a self-satisfied grin.

It was with an nonchalant facade that he caused the Destroyer to slam his metal hand into Thor's very mortal face, and did not wince when he heard the crack of his neck breaking. He watched with calm mask in place, as his thoughts and emotions churned, waiting for Thor to rise, to take Mjolnir, to become his _brother_ once again. Odin never did anything without a purpose, and wouldn't have been so cruel to leave Mjolnir within his grasp without some sort of redemption. Despite what he told his brother.

If becoming the villain is what it took, then so be it. He would bear the burden, to keep his son – _and daughter_ – safe, to watch his brother rise from the ashes like a phoenix, to finally have his kin acknowledge him as _equal_, _worthy_…

He would do _anything_.

There was sick pleasure in the act, and rather than go mad with grief, he channeled it into rage that burned cold. With ruthless efficiency he battled his brother, controlling the metal being with his mind and Gungnir alone. He slipped free when it crashed, frowning in displeasure as he strode down the Bifrost. He smirked at the still frozen Heimdall, and welcomed Laufey into Asgard.

He could not bring himself to kill Laufey, remembering the way the giant had looked upon his son. Instead he walked close to the fallen Jotun, whispering a spell over the prone form but didn't cast it yet. "The only reason I am sparing your life is for Arawn. Let us see if you can survive what comes next, hmm?" Then he cast it, transporting Laufey back to Jotunheim. His mother thought he had killed him, and came rushing towards him, enveloping him in a tight hug...but his victory turned to ash when Thor stormed into the chambers.

"Why don't you tell her, brother, how you sent the Destroyer to kill our friends, to kill me?"

"It must have been enforcing fathers last commands."

"You're a talented liar brother, always have been."

Loki paused, and smiled insincerely. "It's good to have you back." The smile dropped as he raised Gungnir. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to destroy Jotunheim."

He refused to look at his mother as he shot Thor through the wall, and teleported to outside the Bifrost chambers. He paused there as he thought about what he was about to do, a twisted smirk appearing as he contemplated the culmination of all his plans.

He hadn't originally planned on destroying Jotunheim, especially with how fond Arawn seemed to be of the place, but what better way to stop the war?

At this moment, he was feeling downright selfish, and he was going to do what he wanted, damn the consequences.

He slid Gungnir home, marveling as Yggradisil branched out throughout the room. It truly was a beautiful sight, and he froze it in ice as thunder echoed through the room. He spun just as Thor entered the doorway, a grin on his face. He knocked him back when Thor tried to break the ice, loosing himself to the part he was playing, feeling the cracks echoing through his mind as they went deeper.

"Loki this is madness!" Thor yelled.

"Is it? Is it?" he hissed back, ignoring the tears coating his lashes. "_Is it?!_ When did you become so _soft_?" He smiled cruelly. "It's that woman isn't it? Maybe when I'm done here, I'll pay her a visit. I'll make her regret the day she ever met you!"

That did it, pushing his brother over the edge, and he finally got the fight that he wanted. Neither held back, but despite everything, he still found himself flat on his back with Mjolnir sitting on his chest.

"Look at you," he hissed, watching as Thor frantically searched for some way to stop the overloading Bifrost. "The mighty Thor. What're you going to do now, huh?" Mjolnir seemed to press harder into his chest, and he grunted, all the bitterness and anger and madness that was swirling through him echoing in his words. "Do you hear me _brother_?! There's nothing you can do!"

Suddenly, Mjolnir was gone from his chest, and he raised his head. He watched in shock as Thor struck the first blow, the rainbow bridge beneath their feet cracking with the swing.

"What are you doing? If you destroy the bridge you'll never see her again!" Thor paid his words no attention, only striking another blow. He grasped Gungnir and began to run towards his brother. He wouldn't see all his hard work go to waste. There was no thought on how he wanted his brother to be a better man, to try and get Odin to see him as equal. No, all his previous plans were swallowed, chewed, and spit out in the face of his rage and disbelief as he jumped, spear poised perfectly to enter directly into Thor's heart.

Then Mjolnir struck again, and before Gungnir could strike, the bridge exploded.

He found himself hanging over the wormhole created by the falling mechanism, staring up at his brother, and Odin.

"I could've done it father!" he yelled, hating how young and desperate his voice sounded, and not able to do a thing about it. "I could've done it! For you! For all of us." It cracked on the last word, and he had to swallow hard.

"No, Loki."

That was it. The deceptively simple words cracked the last of his composure, and a single tear rolled from the corner of his eye, and down his temple. He let his grip slip just a bit.

"Loki no…"

"Take care of Arawn, brother."

"NO!"

He let go, and didn't look back.

[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]

Arawn frowned as he looked at the screen, aimlessly tapping his nails on the counter next to him. He was looking into the universe with the aid of satellites, and didn't like what he saw. Earth would see it as a star dying or being born, but he knew better. He was seeing the destruction of the Bifrost, and he didn't like what that meant.

His father hadn't told him the entirety of his plans, but Arawn had lived with the man, had been raised by him, so he could guess. Then suddenly, it stopped.

With a growl of frustration he pushed away from the workstation, needing to get his head wrapped around something else for the time being. Until his father said it was good to go back.

"Jarvis, bring up the schematics for the engine of my car."

"Yes Mr. Lokison."

He fell into working on it, shamelessly stealing some of Tony's idea and incorporating them. The man himself was in New York, overseeing the equipment that he wanted for Stark Tower, so he had Malibu to himself for the moment. Morrigan was sleeping peacefully in a corner, wrapped up in the fur of the ice cat that his father had killed.

A crackle rent the air, and for a moment, he was filled with hope that it was his father come to take him home. To tell him that everything was going to be fine, that his uncle had changed…

What he got instead was an insectile creature, wearing a metal face mask and sporting more fingers then any being he had seen. He immediately summoned his armor and daggers, gripping the hilts tightly.

His magic crackled around him with saffron lightning as Morrigan shot awake, her eyes glowing as she summoned her own sorcery.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"So you are the changed mortal," the creature said in a hiss, and Arawn's hackles raised. The only one to call him that had been Laufey. "My masters plan does have merit."

"What-"

He got no more out as something struck him from behind. He had a moment of sickening dizziness to hear Morrigan howl in pain, and he unwillingly pitched into darkness.


	8. The Fall

**A/N: Loki falls, and is reunited with his children in the worst situation.**

* * *

The void was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Voices in the dark screamed and cried and ranted, stars flashing into faces that cried blood, creatures that he had never known existed creeping in and out from around planets and his mind. He was simultaneously freezing cold and scorching hot, wanting to close his eyes against the horror and beauty assaulting him, but unable to.

All he could do was continue on.

The void had no sense of time. All it afforded him was a chance to look back and reflect on his mistakes, on the hope that Anthony or Thor was watching over his children, that Odin was smart enough to leave them out of the mess he had created. He thought that Odin was smart enough to do so, because surely the man knew what would happen if Loki ever found out they had suffered for him.

It would make what he did to Jotunheim look kind.

He battled creatures of the dark, both externally and within his own mind. When his mind became a battlefield, he forgot any attempt at sanity, and fought like the beast that was within his soul. All cruel cunning and vicious claws. He did not always win, the creature he had been fighting worming its way into the cracks and finding purchase there. He had not been alive for centuries however, without having learned a few tricks. He could not dislodge the thing, so he sealed it off, only to have skittering and chirping continuously echoing in his mind.

He was in the midst of a battle with a worm-like creature, when a strong force grabbed him, and _pulled_. He yelped before he could stop himself, but allowed his mind to fall into blessed darkness with a mad, relieved laugh.

**[x]x[x]x[x]x[x]x[x]**

Loki woke to someone running their fingers through his hair. He knew from the touch that it was his son, and for one, oblivious moment, he thought everything that had happened had been a dream. Then the cold beneath him made itself known, and the chittering in the corners of his mind started again.

He shot upwards, looking around and rapidly taking in what was around him. Arawn was sitting against a wall that looked to be made of rotting meat and metal, Morrigan was next to him, and there was no discernable doorway out from the cell they were in. With a soft groan he rubbed his aching temples, fighting back a giggle at realizing that somehow, someway, they were both caged.

"What…" He had to cough to clear his throat, and he tried to access his powers at the same time. He wasn't surprised to find that he couldn't.

"They're called the Chitauri," Arawn said softly. "And they're ruled by a being called Thanos."

Loki's skin went cold at the name. He had heard of Thanos, the Mad Titan, and what he had done to the universe. This was very bad.

"How did you get here son?" he asked softly, looking over his fellow male for any sign of injury. When he found none, he switched his gaze to Morrigan, and frowned slightly. She was still the sleek wolf she had become after they had brought her from Jotunheim, telling him that her magic wasn't dampened by whatever it was keeping his at bay. The warning look in her eye told him to keep his mouth shut though.

"We were attacked in Tony's lab. They knew better then to use magic, and just knocked us out."

"Where was Anthony?"

"He had gone to New York to put all the toys in his new Tower."

Loki just nodded. He was glad Anthony hadn't been brought into all this, but still angry at the man for allowing Arawn to be taken in the first place. Though a mortal, even with Iron Man, wouldn't have stood a chance against Thanos.

He was immediately on his feet as the wall shimmered, and the being himself walked through. A wicked grin spread the grey colored skin, revealing blunt, yellow teeth.

"Ah, I am pleased you have awoken, little god. I was beginning to get impatient."

Loki grit his teeth. "To what do I own the pleasure, Thanos?"

"So you do know who I am. This will make this much easier."

Thanos just smiled again, and inside Loki sweated. He didn't like the callous dismissal he saw there. "You are going to retrieve something for me on a tiny planet called Earth."

_So he needs me for something_. A manic, wide grin stretch his lips, showing his teeth. "And what does the mighty Thanos need me to get, that he cannot himself?"

The Titan frowned, and sudden pain ricocheted through his skull. As soon as it was there it was gone, and he found himself panting, on his knees, hands buried in his hair without any knowledge of any of it happening. Arawn's hands were shaking and tight on his shoulders.

"Do not delude yourself pseudo god. I need nothing from you, for if I so desired I could destroy that little planet with nothing more than a command."

"Then why don't you?" he rasped, glaring up at the grey-skinned male. "Why do you want me to do your dirty work for you?"

"My lady stays my hand," Thanos said shortly, and smiled calmly again. "Your son will pay the price if you do not do as I ask. I gave you but a taste of what I can truly do."

Loki felt himself go ashen when Arawn stood suddenly. "You do not intimidate me Thanos." Morrigan growled in agreement.

Thanos just shrugged. Arawn's and Morrigan's eyes rolled and they collapsed, mouths opening to emit terrible screaming full of pain and terror.

"Stop!" he yelled harshly, standing and putting himself between them. The screaming stopped, but he didn't turn. His eyes were locked with the glowing ones of Thanos, acidic rage and fear causing his hands to clench and nails to dig deep into his palms. "You dare to threaten my children you blundering oaf!"

He was not prepared for the meaty hand that stuck him across the face, but he did not move or stagger from the heavy blow. Blood filled his mouth, and eyes spitting rage, he looked back at Thanos and spit in his face. He grinned madly when the Titan growled, fear a distant memory. He spread his hands and mock bowed, never lowering his defiant glare.

"I am at your service."

"Not out of willingness to serve," Thanos rumbled, annoyed and still pissed.

Loki's smirk was sharp. "Never. However, you and I know that I will do as you ask, because you have my children. That is the reason you took them, is it not?" Thanos made no movement of agreement, but his silence said it all. "I do have one question."

"Ask Liesmith."

"Why me?" His voice was soft, steel coated in silk.

Thanos just smirked. "You will do anything to protect what is yours."

Loki straightened to his full height, ignoring the aches in his muscle and the throbbing of his head and squared his shoulders arrogantly. His broad smile was full of teeth. "You have _no_ idea."

For the first time, there was a flicker of unease in the glowing eyes, quickly masked by cold indifference. Loki smirked mentally to see it. The Titan truly had no idea the lengths Loki would go to.

He would find out.

**[x]x[x]x[x]x[x]x[x]**

Loki learned much in the months after he had been stolen from the Void. One such piece of knowledge came as soon as he left the cage, after making sure his son and daughter were well. His sorcery was shut down _only_ inside of that cage, by runes upon runes etched into the stone surrounding the organic inside.

He also found out that Thanos had no way to keep his powers from him outside of it. He had soundly thrashed the Other when the Chitauri leader had made the mistake of torturing Arawn, and then bragging to Loki about it. Thanos could do nothing but issue a beating, while painful, did nothing to break his spirit. Even while in the cage, without his power, his and his children's mental shields were too well made for even the Titan to penetrate. He and his minions could inflict mental pain however, and inflict they did.

He spent most of his time being groomed by Thanos to take over the insectile army, however when that wasn't taking place, he was being tortured. Most nights he would find himself in the cell with his children, Morrigan chained to the wall and helpless as he and Arawn were put through as much agony as possible before their bodies shut down.

He could see the changes in his son and daughter, as they hardened, and began to hate. Neither cried out anymore during the beatings, and it was only at night, when Thanos sent dreams, that either of them allowed themselves to cave. He had never known a wolf to cry, and though she was unable to shed tears, her sobbing mental voice tore at him in ways Arawn's vocal ones could not. He did everything he could to make it easier, even taking their punishments when he could. He was allowed out of the dank, throbbing cage; Arawn and Morrigan were not. Loki could heal himself.

He begged and pleaded with Thanos, ignoring his own pride to keep the pain away from his children. Thanos was pleased enough with his seeming submission to give the order, and his children were left alone. Day after day he would go see them, bringing them food, and was glad that they had begun to heal. Every day was a new trial, new wounds being inflicted over others, but it was only Arawn and Morrigan who saw the scars and wounds. He couldn't hide them in the cage with a glamour as he could while out of it, and his children seethed with an impotent rage. He tried his best to reassure them, all the while speaking quietly about plans to escape, and then the day came.

The day when Thanos revealed to him that the object he was retrieving, was the Tesseract.

Loki had never felt such fear as he did when Thanos showed him the spear that Loki was to wield. The blue gem screamed with the power of the Tesseract, tendrils reaching out to his mind and trying to enslave it.

The explanation Odin have given about it flashed through his mind. _"I never should have made it. It is unlimited power, and even I have trouble controlling it. It calls upon the parts of me that I would never acknowledge, urging me to use the power, to destroy and conquer." Odin's one blue eye had smiled at him then, strained. "Never allow it to touch you my son. It will take over your mind."_

"I refuse," he rasped, the Other holding his wrists tightly behind him as a Chitauri rained blow after blow on him. Blood poured from his panting lips. "I will not take that weapon."

"Oh you will little god. You have no choice."

"I will not!" he yelled, ignoring the blood that was streaming down his skin from the cuts they had inflicted. He struggled wildly but futilely against the restraining hands. The Other snarled and wrenched his arms out in front of him, and he screamed in denial and terror as the weapon came in contact with the bare skin of his hands.

Blue power flooded his mind, sending him screaming from the onslaught and weeping from the sensation. This was power that he never should have control over, even this little bit, as it whispered to the darkness in him - the pride, the arrogance. With this in his hands he could do anything. He could make Odin bow before him, take Asgard by storm, rule Midgard...

And it scared the shit out of him.

He came back to himself to find that all his wounds were healed, but his mind was no longer completely his. He swallowed bitterly, scowling at the spear as his hands tightened around the golden metal. Thanos had sunk his hooks in when the Tesseract had entered his mind, and now he was no more than a puppet. He still had his own thoughts and feelings, but he could not disobey a command from the Titan in front of him.

The words were bitter, seething ashes on his tongue as he spoke. "Your wish is my command."

Thanos chuckled heartily, cruelly. "Never of your own choice, Loki Liesmith."

"Never," he rasped. He glared upwards. "You had my word. There was no need for this."

"I needed insurance."

Loki said nothing after that, and stood and walked away. He went to the cage where his children were, but could not even summon a small smile when Arawn stood with one on his face.

Arawn frowned, and Loki wanted to wince at the fear there, to give reassurances, but he was far too tired now. For once, he understood the weariness that he had seen in Odin's face. That bone deep tiredness that made you want to sleep and never wake up again.

"Dad, what happened?" Arawn asked softly, as Morrigan walked up as well.

She sniffed the spear, then growled. "_Your eyes are blue father, not green. What has been done?"_

He swallowed, and thought about lying. He had made a promise however - he would never lie to his children.

"Thanos has gotten his hooks into me, against my will. I am now bound to him, to do what he says." He spit the last words out, and stiffened when Arawn hugged him. His son said nothing though, nothing verbally, and slowly Loki allowed himself to relax, resting his forehead on the warm shoulder.

"You may be bound father, but we are not. We will find a way. We were raised by the great Trickster, after all."

Loki offered a weak chuckle at that, and finally pulled back. He put his free hand on Arawn's shoulder, and smiled at them both. "I will be leaving for Midgard in a few days. I doubt that I will make it back before that. I love you, my children."

"I love you too, dad," Arawn said thickly, a faint sheen of tears over his eyes.

Loki leaned over and kissed his cheek, then Morrigan's nose. _"I love you as well, father."_

"Be safe, my children." Then he turned sharply and strode from the room, new resolves burning in his heart, and he didn't care if Thanos could hear his thoughts.

He would make the Titan pay for this.

**[x]x[x]x[x]x[x]x[x]**

It was a few hours after he had felt his dads presence leave, and Arawn had his eyes closed, cheek resting on his upraised knees when something whispered over his senses. Instantly the aura around him sharpened with focus. _"Something is there Morrigan."_

_"I know." _She licked her chops, raising her head purposely to face the far wall. It was the wall their captors usually came though. Neither had to wait long before something slid through, and an utterly instinctive reaction had him scrambling backwards, over the wolf. Sheer terror was fueling his movements, and until he hit the wall he felt like a rabbit caught in a hawks talons. The sharp thump jarred him enough that he shook it off, but he was breathing heavily as he stared with wide eyes at the...thing before him.

It was nothing but a skeleton clothed in grey mist, flowing and coiling like smoke around the bones.

"What the _hell are you_?" he breathed, adrenaline still making his heart beat rapidly.

_"I am Death."_

Arawn stopped breathing then, the words whispering through his mind like a cold wind through leaves.

"Did I die then?" he asked, wondering if he was truly ready to face death. He didn't think he was...

_"No," _the being replied. _"You are in a rare position, Arawn Lokison."_

Arawn blinked, wondering what the hell was going on. First he had been kidnapped by insect aliens, then tortured, and now he was having a conversation with Death. He snorted, and suddenly everything broke and he found himself laughing hysterically.

_"You find this funny, Asgardian?"_ Death said, and it was clearly not amused.

Arawn flapped a hand towards it, trying to get himself under control. He knew it wasn't funny, but he honestly couldn't help himself. It was either that or break into a million little pieces and begin bawling like a newborn. After a couple deep breaths he finally stopped the laughter, but couldn't completely stop the occasional giggle that escaped him.

"Sorry," he breathed, and bit the inside of his cheek hard enough for it to bleed. "I know this isn't funny...I've just had a really, really messed up past few months."

_"This I know. I have been watching you closely since your birth."_

That sobered him up very quickly, as chills went down his spine. "Why?"

_"You are my Avatar. You have forgotten your origins, Arawn." _A bone finger reached out towards him, and Arawn found himself frozen, unable to even move his head away. _"Remember, and become what you were born to be."_

Arawn _felt_ his pupils expanding, and heard Morrigan growling beside him as his mind fell away, like a veil had been ripped from his senses.

_Verdant fields over rolling hills, small cottages dotted the countryside. A pack of hunting dogs by his side, the lead female black with vicious yellow eyes, named Morrigan after the goddess he had a long standing feud with. Battles and clashes, whispers of the dead singing sweetly into his ears as he led them to the afterlife and then rebirth. The final great war, when the dead rose up at his command, Morrigan his only companion after the others had been killed. Standing in a field coated with red, his armor and weapons dripping with them, glaring balefully at another man that held a sword aloft, ready to take his head. The dying wolf snarling weakly from his lap, where he held her._

_The whispered spell. The skeletal hand in his hair, giving him the words._

He came back to himself with a gasp, and immediately had to roll over onto his stomach as he emptied it. When that was done, Morrigan licking his cheek, he took a few shaky breaths and sat back, shaking as he drew his knees to his chest, trying to figure out exactly what it was that he saw. Because of the memories, he knew that the being in front of him was _actually_ Death, and not the shadows the being normally sent.

It appeared differently to everyone, dependent on their beliefs and what they thought Death should look like. Some, it was just a white light, while others - like Thanos - saw it as female. It was rare indeed for any being to see the guise Death took of its own accord.

"I am the god of death and rebirth," he said quietly, and didn't need Death nodding it's head. He knew it was true. "Why...why would I cast that spell? It erased all my memories and powers, and sent me to the mortal plane. Why would I do that?"

_"You'll find out the complete truth soon enough. All you need to know now, is that you did it on my behalf, for a situation such as this. Thanos has gone too far. He must be stopped."_

"I thought Death was neutral," he said bitterly, glaring at the figure. All the previous fear he had was gone, now that he knew who he truly was.

_"I am. He has destroyed whole galaxies in my name, and seeks to kill the universe in my name. If the universe is dead, then there will be no more need for Death."_

Arawn blinked, and smiled slightly. "So this is saving your own ass too."

The skeletal head just nodded. _"There is more to it than that, but that is all you need to know."_

He narrowed his eyes, glaring into the black sockets, but he knew it wasn't an argument he would win. It was like talking to his dad - there were some you could win, but mostly you just gave up. So he shrugged and looked away. "Go away. I have a lot of thinking to do."

_"Very well. You know how to contact me should you need to do so."_

With a whisper of smoke it was gone, and Arawn held himself stiff for a long moment. Then he sagged, resting his forehead on his knees, and Morrigan whined next to him.

_"Well that was interesting," _she said, and Arawn couldn't help but snort in dark amusement.

"_Yea. Not every day you find out you're the reborn Celtic god of death. Who is apparently a necromancer too, and Aesir, human, and Jotun. What the fuck Morri, I mean, shit..._" He could not form a coherent thought, let alone a sentence. Suddenly, he found it hysterically funny, and a surprised laugh was ripped from him. Then he couldn't stop, tears pouring from his eyes, sides hurting...then the ache went deep into his bones, and the laughter abruptly cut off. He continued crying though, and turned almost desperately to throw his arms around the neck of his sister.

_"Oh Arawn..." _She resting the underside of her chin over his shoulder, enveloping him against her chest protectively. _"I am sorry pup. I can only give you one thing, that Death showed me."_

He stiffened, pulling back to eye her with concern. _"It told you something and not me?"_

She almost glared at him. _"We both had those memories, but from different perspectives. I wasn't your average canine even then, imbecile."_

That succeeded in getting a small, true smile from him. He hadn't heard the affectionate insult in a while. _"By all means sister of mine."_

She just huffed and found that place in her, where her magic resided. Death had shown her a way to give Arawn that energy, without alerting Thanos. It was something that previously only Arawn could do, drawing energy from her.

That had been a vastly different times, however.

Arawn's jaw fell open, eyes going glazed as he felt his power fill him for the first time in what felt like centuries. He was absently glad that Morri was keeping watch, because he became lost in it for a moment, relishing the crackle of the fire running through his veins.

_"How in the hell..._" he whispered, lost.

_"You cannot use yours currently, but I can give you mine. It is...hard to explain."_

_"We'll figure it out later. Right now it works, so I'm not going to question it."_

_"Wise decision."_

His first order of business was healing himself and Morri, even though he had to do it slowly and carefully less it be discovered. There was nothing he could do about being underweight, that would only come back through regular eating.

He came back to himself briefly when his internal clock told him it was far past the time the insects would be bringing them food. He was bitterly satisfied that Morri hadn't said anything about the guards.

_"I guess now that dad is gone, we're expendable."_

_"We already knew that was going to happen," _she said with a small huff of unamused laughter.

_"Yea,_" he returned darkly, and went back to examining his new power. Morrigan wasn't tiring in the least, and he could feel the bright reservoir of energy inside her.

Suddenly it burst and spread like an egg, delving and finding the deepest parts of the rock he was currently living on. It took on a dark edge, unlike anything he had ever felt before...in this life. Suddenly the memories Death gave him were crystal clear, the reason behind them snapping into focus.

He really _was_ a necromancer.

It took all his hard earned control to keep it somewhat contained, to keep it from being sensed, but that was all he could do. It was wild and fierce, yet deadly cold, reminding him of his Jotun powers. Yet there was a stillness to it that reminded him of a graveyard, a rustling like the sound of wind through dead leaves. It was exciting and unnerving at the same time. Here was a power that no other on Asgard held, would never wield without giving a piece of their soul away. Yet Death itself had given him the power when he had been a Celtic god, and now he was its Avatar once again.

He could feel the very bones this place was built on, literally. Deep in the rock were three skeletons, remnants of the world Thanos had taken over and destroyed for himself. Long sinuous bodies, sharp teeth, claws that were the length of his arm, and with a flash he knew what he was looking at.

_Dragons_.

He smiled grimly, and set to work. He knew exactly how he was getting out of here.


	9. Avengers

The sweet, dangerous power sung through his veins as Loki materialized on Midgard, and the mad smile wasn't feigned as he looked up slowly, getting his bearings. He stood, eyes shifting as he analyzed the men with the weapons, and the obvious leader in all black standing in front of him.

"Sir, put down the spear."

He glanced at the weapon in his hand, then back up. He smirked, and let loose a bolt of power that exploded through him, sweet and deadly. He felt it drawing on his meager reserves, and it was pure adrenaline that saw him through the fight and allowed him to take over the mans - _Clint Barton, Hawkeye_ - mind. He frowned when he saw from the corner of his eye the black man - _Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD _- snapping the case shut over the Tesseract.

"Please don't," he said genially, straightening and turning. "I still need that."

"Now this doesn't have to get any worse," the bald man said.

"Of course it does. I've come too far for anything else."

He smiled slowly, relishing in the flash of uncertainty, uneasiness in the black eye.

_This is so easy._

"I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose."

**X[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]X**

Tony whined when Jarvis suddenly cut off his music. "Jarv, what gives?"

"I have suddenly detected a heat source in your lab sir. It is coming from the top left drawer of your center workbench."

Tony froze for a moment, heart suddenly thumping at what those words implied. "Well how about that."

He rolled out from under his custom hot rod, with no shirt on. His bare skin was covered in grease and dirt, his hair sticking up wildly everywhere. He only bent his head backwards, just enough to look at said compartment.

It was where he kept his personal items, locked and stored away in the room he practically lived in. Dummy beeped questioningly, but Tony didn't say anything. He was fixated on that handle, and the possibilities that lied within.

Slowly he stood, grabbing a rag absently and wiping as much grease and dirt off his hands as possible without washing them. He paused again with his hand on the lock, Jarvis having undone it without his asking. With a barely there hitch in his breath his pulled it out, eyes taking in the soft emerald glow that was shining at him through a pile of knick-knacks.

A few hair ties of Peppers', an old, ornate watch for Rhodey that he had been tinkering on for _years_ now. In his defense, it never did anything quite like he wanted it to.

Shoved in the back was an old, rusted pin, a stupid thing one got out of a cereal box, and a pair of modern-looking ear plugs. Among them were bits of paper and metal, a random folded up piece of wire. Shining through it was the stag pendent, emerald eye glowing softly, resting on a large, rubber keychain that looked like a tree frog. It had deep chew marks.

It looked as though it was a random assortment of things, just like Tony wanted. Each piece was a vivid memory in his mind however. The first day Pepper had giving him that _look_, while tying up her hair, that long suffering look that told him she wouldn't leave. Finding the watch on a drunken binge with his best friend, wandering into a pawn shop in the middle of New Orleans. A stupid toy he had gotten when he had been very young, his father handing him a box of cereal with a wink - _"There's a prize inside son." _ The sudden pain of betrayal when he was frozen, his lifeline taken from him.

He absently picked up the necklace and slipped it over his head, feeling the warmth of it as it touched his skin. He then rested his fingers on the rough surface of the frog.

_Laughing himself sick when he had caught Arawn chewing on a frog keychain, bright green and red being mangled in front of his eyes. Arawn was in the midst of working through something furiously on the computer. The kid's face had clashed horribly with his hair when Tony had burst out laughing, realizing exactly what it was he was doing. Loki had laughed right along with him when Tony had shown him later._

That one incredible night that blurred into a haze of sharp pleasure and growled _more_. He had never felt utter desire to consume, to _claim_ as he had that night. Even though he was with Pep, he knew who he would go for if forced to choose. Not that it would be a problem anyway. Him and Pepper hadn't really sparked lately. They tried, but it just wasn't there anymore.

"Tony, are you going to go anytime soon? We are on a schedule."

Speak of the devil. He grinned and tossed on a shirt as he made his way towards the elevator. "Got sidetracked. On my way."

His baby was a success. All of his sweat, blood, and tears was paying off right in front of his eyes.

It was beautiful, and for the moments he was flying back towards it, life was perfect.

Then he got back, and he saw the files, and was suddenly glad that Pepper was gone. As he put the 3D model of the Tesseract back, his eyes shifted over and his jaw dropped.

There, in all his leather glory, was Loki.

_What the hell..._

He reached out and enlarged all the information, skimming through it quickly. He didn't realize he was frowning until he got to the end, and began reading it all over. There was no mention of Arawn, or pictures of the red head. There was nothing about Morrigan either, the arrogant wolf that the kid had introduced him too when he showed up at Malibu a year ago.

"Jarvis, hack into SHIELD's files, I want to know the instant they find Loki."

"Of course sir. If I may ask, what has happened with Mr. Hunter? Something is very wrong with all of this, sir."

"I agree," he said absently, beginning to pour over all the data Coulson had given him. Wormholes, astrophysics, it all became child's play as he delved deeper then the reading provided to him. He went over Banner's work, then Jane Fosters, then various works from other scientists, gaining a deeper understanding about what Loki could use the Tesseract for. Jarvis sent him files on the work SHIELD had been doing with the cube, and he snorted at the incompetence of them.

He would get answers from Loki after all this was sorted out.

**X[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]X**

Loki closed his eyes as the Other's power swam around him, glaring when he summoned a shadow of himself to pace back and forth across the barren rock in front of the disgusting creature.

"What do you want?" he sneered, the blue of his scepter pulsing in response to his agitation. It had grown quite fond of him, the Tesseract.

"Our Chitauri grow restless," the Other hissed, warningly.

Loki only smirked. "Let them. Soon you will have your toy and war, and I will be free to enact my revenge."

"You still seek to defy him?" The pasty white hand was placed on the rock that Loki knew Thanos resided at the top of. "The god that gave you your power, fallen prince?"

"I will always defy him," he said harshly, pointing the now glowing weapon at the being. "He knows this, which is why he took the cowards route and enslaved my mind. You're _all_ cowards."

He clicked his tongue in condescension, bringing the point of the spear to rest under the pasty white flesh of the beings chin when it came for him. "Watch yourself Other. There is a reason Thanos plucked me from the Void to do his dirty work. Why he had to resort to such _desperate_ measures."

The Other growled, circling around him. He did not disagree. "If you fail, Asgardian, there will be no rock, no barren moon that you can hide from us." Loki slowly tensed as a papery hand curled around his jaw, preparing for what he knew was coming. It wasn't to kill him, so as much as he wished too, he could only deflect some of the damage."Death will be a kindness, once I get through with you and your children."

He snapped back to himself, hissing as shivers racked his body, breathing harsh. _I will kill you, Other,_ he thought with a bloodthirsty grin. _I will break every bone in your body, and removed every single one of your teeth. This I promise you._

He took a deep breath and stood, filled with grim purpose. He walked through the bustling workers until he reached the closed off area, and smiled slightly when Selvig greeted him.

"The Tesseract has shown me so much! She's more than power...she's truth."

Loki couldn't help but smile bigger at the enthusiasm. He absently wondered if the man would forgive him after he had regained his mind, for the knowledge that the cube had given the scientist.

"I know." He turned to the agent. If there was one thing he was regretful about, it was turning this man. He was fighting to regain his mind even now, Barton's stubbornness undeterred. "What did it show you, Agent Barton?"

"My next target."

"Tell me what you need." He said quietly, watching the man as he went over to his bow case.

"A distraction. And an eyeball."

**X[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]X**

Loki kept up a cool, collected facade as he let his armor fade, smirking internally as Anthony's weapons folded back into the armor and the visor flipped up. A few things were different, namely the reactor in the middle of his chest. He remained placid, wondering if Anthony was going to speak, to reveal that they had a past. It tore at him more then he thought it would, knowing that he was now the enemy, that things would never go back to how they were between the two of them.

It wasn't until he looked up, and caught Anthony's curious, angry gaze, that he realized he was running his thumb over the microchip. It must have slipped out of his leathers during the battle. He showed no emotion as he put it back, holding his hands out to be cuffed, and let them lead him into the waiting jet.

Then thunder rumbled, and he found himself flat on his back, discs slipping in his spine from the force of the impact.

He groaned, then huffed a laugh. "I've missed you too."

"Where is the Tesseract?"

_Like I'm going to tell you. _"You should be thankful to me. Just how much dark energy did the All-Father have to amass to conjure you here? Your precious earth," he spat, getting to his feet. Thor helped him, glaring at him with sad, angry eyes.

"I thought you dead," his brother said, and Loki could read the honest grief that was there. It made his heart stutter, actually seeing that his brother had missed him, had mourned him...

But he still had his role to play.

"Did you mourn?" he asked darkly, spitefully.

"We all did. Our father-"

"_Your_ father," he growled, jerking away and rubbing at his back. _I hate rock_. "He did tell you of my true parentage did he not?"

"And what does that matter brother? We grew up together, we played together, we fought together. That means nothing to me who your true father is!"

"And what of Arawn?" he asked bitterly, turning and glaring at Thor with glittering eyes.

He held back a blink at Thor's honest confusion. "What of my nephew? He was in his rooms when I left for here, to bring you home."

His world turned to ice. _Thanos, you utter bastard, what did you do?_ The Titan's laughter echoed through his mind, only stoking the coals of his hatred for the being.

"Loki, give up this foolish dream, come home with me," his brother pleaded, and how he wanted that. He could honestly think of nothing better than to have their mother hug him. He was so, so very tired.

So he straightened his spine, and sneered.

"I have grown, Thor Odinson in my exile. I have seen things and worlds that you could only dream of. I have been shown the true power of the Tesseract-"

"Who has shown you this? Who controls the would be king?"

"I am a king!"

"Not here! Earth is under my protection brother! Do not try to rule here because of some grudge you have against me!"

_I have no grudge against you, no longer brother,_ he thought, seeing how Thor's time spent in the mortal world had truly done his brother good. He smiled bitterly, though inside a part of him was released. At least now he knew that _all_ of his plots hadn't been for naught.

"And a good job you've done so far," he said silkily, cruelly, and laughed when Thor grabbed him.

"You listen to me-"

Then he was gone, and Loki smirked. "I'm listening."

The fight was interesting, as he watched from his front row seat. He took the time to heal himself, as he marveled at the new power Anthony wielded. To be able to go against Thor and actually cause him to bleed was noteworthy. Then the good Captain stepped in, and he almost pouted. All of his entertainment was gone.

Oh did he have fun playing with their minds though, using his words to undermine each one. Except Anthony, though he wondered if his once lover realized that. "_A warm light for all mankind to share_," said teasingly, while he looked directly into the camera. _They have been fooling you Anthony, these so called protectors. See them for who they truly are._

Though his favorite part had to be when the Widow had come in. He made it seem as though she had out maneuvered him, while in reality, he knew she would go storming to Banner and set everything in motion.

Then Barton broke him out, he killed a man he knew to be close to them, and casually went to Anthony's tower. He looked down at the peaceful city, for the first time actually praying to Chaos. He actively sent these thoughts to Thanos, knowing he didn't believe the humans capable. Chaos bended and twisted, could force an entire world to shift, or one single event. Something that devastated or nudged.

He was desperately counting on Chaos to bring these wounded warriors together, against all the odds.

Because now? With his mind enslaved by the Titan? He wouldn't be able to save his children without their help.

A smile of teeth was the only response to the Mad Titans condescending laugh in his mind. "_Your plan will never come to fruition, little god."_

"Just wait," he crooned, the dome appearing as the machine charged. He watched it with a small, maliciously gentle smile. "I will have your blood on my hands, your skull for my personal coffee mug."

A mad, high giggle escaped him for a moment as Thanos snapped the connection in anger. Then he saw the person flying towards them, and the sound shut off abruptly. He had been expecting this confrontation since Anthony had shown up in Germany, though nothing had been exchanged privately between them but a few glances.

When Thor hadn't immediately asked Tony about Loki, he had let it go, and figured out that Thor knew nothing about him, or their involvement.

He hadn't expected anything different however. He knew Anthony would figure out where Loki had gone to, and would have been disappointed if he showed up with his superhero friends.

He merely tilted his head a bit. "Please tell me you're going to play to my humanity," he said with a broad smile.

"Where's Arawn?"

Loki blinked, taken aback for just a moment at the blunt question. Then he sneered. "He is on Asgard so my brother told me, hiding away from my _villainy_."

"No he's not, or he'd be here. I know he knows the back ways between worlds, like you taught him. Drink?" Loki inclined his head after a moment, surprised intrigue filling him as he stared at the inventor. He hadn't really considered the possibility that Anthony had figured so much out about them after only three months. Not even Asgard thought it strange that his children had locked themselves away.

"So, this is what I figure. This-" Anthony waved his hand around. "-is not your style. If you truly wanted to take over Earth, you would have done it quietly, from the ground up, not one tiny little portal that we can easily defend."

"How much you think you know," he purred cruelly, smirking when Anthony shot him an arch look.

"I know you better than anyone else, except maybe Arawn. By the way, I see what you meant about your brother."

Loki's interest only sharpened further, a familiar buzz heating his blood. Anthony had always been able to keep up with him in words. "He is an idiot, isn't he?" he mused, taking a drink of the scotch.

"Mm," Anthony agreed. "So here's what I figure. Somehow, someway, someone is pulling your strings, using Arawn and Morrigan as collateral."

Loki set the drink down calmly, a small, rueful smile on his face. How true that statement was.

"You believe wrong Anthony," he said quietly, as though amused by the whole concept. The words were as equally true as the ones Anthony uttered. "I am here of my own free will."

"_Liar_."

The word was flung in his face, and without thinking of what he was doing, he grabbed the man by the throat, lifting him off his feet. He pulled Anthony in, caressing his ear with his lips as he spoke. "Do not meddle in things you know nothing about, _Anthony Stark_."

Then he threw him out the window...only to have a suit send him face first into the ground. He let out a relieved breath, getting back to his feet and ignoring his tender jaw. He roughly calculated that it would get to Anthony before he hit, at the speed it was going. "Make sure he survives Jarvis, even if I don't."

"I will make sure of it Mr. Hunter," Jarvis answered coolly.

He winced slightly, then smiled tiredly at a hidden camera in the corner. "You trusted me, and I am sorry that I have to break that trust."

Jarvis stayed silent until Loki could hear the roar of the suit swiftly approaching.

"So mend it, sir."

A wordless growl was the only thing he got before the repulsor's shot him back into the bar.

Then the portal opened, and he did his part. He could not deny even to himself that he took great pleasure in stabbing Thor, knowing that it wasn't fatal.

Soon however, he found himself unable to move, several bones broken as he bled into the crater the beast had made with his own body.

"_You're son will __**die**__ Asgardian."_ The words whispered through his mind, sparking a sudden hope. Thanos was pissed, which meant his children had found a way to escape and fight back.

He had failed, but was satisfied.

He absently wondered if this was death as blackness took him, and he knew no more.

**X[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]X[X]X**

"Give me my power," he said quietly, but pleadingly. He looked solidly into the black pits of Death's skull.

_"You will most likely die if I do that,"_ Death responded in its usual sibilant voice.

"I don't care!" He screamed, standing and letting all his fury and desperation loose. "_I don't!_ I have to get out of here! I have to help my dad, and uncle, and Tony! I have to!"

He was almost begging now, and he didn't care. He swallowed all his pride, only barely keeping himself from falling to his knees. That was the one thing he still refused to allow himself, but his resolve was weakening. He would do whatever it took to get out of this hellhole.

The power Death had shown him, the power he had once controlled with barely a thought, eluded him now. He could not get the bones under his feet to move an inch, let alone fully reanimate them. He didn't have the time to build up his knowledge of it, to learn to control it.

He had run out of time.

_"Giving you back your full powers now would be suicide, Avatar. Your body cannot handle it yet, being in its infancy of godhood."_

"_Please,"_ he whispered, knees bending and hitting the floor. He stared at the being, naked desperation on his face and shining in his tears. "You can have it back, you can have me, I don't care, just give me time. Let me help them, please...they'll kill him." His voice broke, choking on the last words. "He'll never tell them, and he'll die, and we're going to die anyway...I can't...I can't let my dad die." Sobs clenched tight in his throat, and he bent his body, pressing his forehead to the floor. "_Please..."_

A sigh went through the room, and skeletal fingers were placed on his bent head. _"I will allow them back for a short time only, Arawn Lokison. I will take it back when I deem fit. Pray that it is before your death."_

Still, cool power trickled into his veins, then struck his system with all the subtlety of a bomb.

In a panic he screamed, sending it down deep into the rock, into the skeletons he had been futilely trying to raise the past few days. He needed it to go somewhere, because his body couldn't handle it all. It would burn through him like a flash fire, too much for him to control with the strange newness of it. Everything before, from Aesir to Jotun, was about forming, and manipulating something. This was searching, filling, giving direction and _letting go_.

A roar echoed through the very bedrock under his feet, jolting him from his sudden trance. He swayed, toppling over as spasms racked his body, the power unbridled and burning through him. _Fuck me,_ he thought desperately as he fought to control it, not even feeling it when Morrigan grabbed his arm with her teeth, flinging him onto her back and strapping him there with her own magic. His arm snapped from the strength of his muscle spasms, and he screamed. The power flashed, healing it, and with it came a mediocre ounce of control as it drained.

Bones snapped and broke under the strain of his true nature filling him, muscle ripping and tendons snapping, each flash of healing draining the magic just a bit more. He screamed and ranted and thrashed, shouting curses of pain until his throat gave out completely.

"_You've got to control it brother! Please!"_

Morrigan's panicked voice sliced through everything, giving him a much needed focus, mind snapping into place like a trap.

His thoughts had a sudden clarity that was as unnerving as it was nice, but he was still shivering, body aching with the wounds it had inflicted upon itself. He was darkly amused to know that his own power had just tried to destroy him. Death hadn't been wrong. He was not ready to wield the full power of his past, and that was a bitter pill to swallow.

He opened his eyes, only moving his head as he looked around. They were standing on a plateau of bare rock, the universe spread out around them. He had no idea how they had gotten there.

All around them were Chitauri warriors, bristled and ready for a fight, but they were hesitating. After a moment his blood ran cold with vicious satisfaction, as he figured out why.

Standing around them were dead Chitauri, and off in the distance he could see one of the dragons he had summoned battling with a giant...armored _worm_. He could tell the reanimated beasts were killed by Morrigan, and could feel the subtle spark of his icy power inside each one. They had stilled when he had come back to himself, but now he gingerly sat up on Morri's back, and then he could suddenly see the portal.

Arawn turned cold eyes back to the Chitauri milling around them, his smile a sharp, bloody smear on his face. _"Kill them,"_ he hissed coldly.

_"Morri, run!"_ He told her mentally, as his zombies - he smirked at that - attacked. Morrigan plowed ahead, snapping at those that got in her way. Adrenaline was kicking in now, and he helped, summoning his nidhogg armor as he began firing blast after blast. His stomach and heart lurched when Morrigan propelled them off the edge and into the vastness of space, but he could see that they wouldn't make it, not with the Chitauri already on their gliders coming their way.

He twisted, ignoring the screaming of his body, and whispered words of a familiar spell. He put much more power into it then normal though, and was happy that Morri had strapped him down to her when a jet of flame erupted from his hands and they shot forward towards the portal. He trusted her to keep them on path, since he had to concentrate to keep magic going into the spell. He had to concentrate very hard, actually, and that worried him.

_"Arawn! Someone just came through the portal! It looks like Tony!"_

Arawn released the spell - the momentum would carry them through - and twisted around with a hiss of pain. He had to duck out of the way as a large rocket went right over his head, and his insides flipped. He hoped that wasn't a nuke, but somehow he knew better.

Then grim satisfaction filled him.

He grabbed Tony's boot as they flew past the falling man, throwing him over Morrigan's back as they went through the closing portal, the bomb exploding just as they exited. He glanced back, smiling widely at the destruction. He would have liked to keep his zombie dragons, but they were a small sacrifice in the hopes that Thanos and the Other had been destroyed in that.

Morrigan used what was left of her magic to land on the top of Tony's Tower, and both men tumbled off. Arawn groaned at the protest of his body, getting onto his knees, and looked to the inventor. Panic filled him when he saw no light in the reactor, and he ripped off the helmet. He pressed shaking fingers to his neck, relieved that there was a faint heartbeat, but not liking the stuttering he felt. Taking a deep breath, he whispered a few words under his breath, fingers twisting into archaic patterns, and then he pressed them to the reactor.

And nothing happened.

"What the fuck," he whispered desperately to himself, and tried again. Then again. The power that he had wielded from birth, that his father had so painstakingly trained him in, would not come. He could see Tony growing more ashen the longer he tried, and his heart beat in double time in panic. He couldn't lose him. His dad would never be the same if Tony died.

Then lightning flared, draining a considerable amount of his new power. It left him dizzy for a moment, his vision going double as he leaned on a hand, Tony gasping and looking wildly around.

Their eyes connected, and Tony groaned again. "What the hell..."

Arawn grinned in relief, but a soft hiss hit his ears, and he looked sharply to his left, through the broken glass and into the room. He could barely see a figure trying to get up, and it was achingly familiar. With a cry of joy he stood and ran, ignoring Tony's call for him to wait, and leapt through the broken window to embrace the figure. Only to pull back sharply when Loki cried out in pain, jaw dropping as he saw the state his dad was in.

His dads power was so drained, or he was hurt enough that his glamour wasn't up, and Arawn could see everything clearly.

Broken nose, ribs, a leg, fingers, bruises, cuts and scars covered his body...but his eyes were green. Joy filled him along with deadly rage, the cool fingers of his necromancer powers slipping through his veins the longer he looked at his dad.

"Arawn? Nephew? What...did father send you?"

Arawn whipped around, standing protectively over Loki as Morrigan growled deeply, glaring at the assortment of people that were standing there, staring at them in confusion and weariness. His eyes locked onto Thor's, and his lip curled in a sneer.

"I didn't get sent anywhere, uncle. I've been gone for just as long as dad has! What, you haven't noticed?"

Thor blinked in confusion at his acidic words. "No nephew. When father sent me here, you were in your rooms with Morrigan. I...checked...that wasn't you?"

_Thanos you bastard!_ He thought, hoping that the Titan would hear it. The being must have made a clone, or a shadow of some sorts so no one would think he was missing.

"No uncle, that wasn't me." He heard another soft, pained groan from behind him, and he was suddenly very, very tired. And very, very _angry_. "Who did this?"

"Did what kid? Your dad tried taking over our world," Tony said, but stopped talking when Arawn glared at him.

"You knew him Tony," he said harshly, cruel satisfaction filling him when Tony paled. "You _know_ him. You know the respect he has for humans and this world. Why, pray tell, would he ever try to take this place over like that?"

"..."

He scoffed, uncaring how callous it sounded. "You're a genius Tony! You didn't look for anything deeper? I take it back, you're an idiot. Now, who did this to my dad!"

His anger suddenly erupted from him, and he felt that cool wind reaching from him, searching, finding, and filling. The angry chitter of the Chitauri suddenly came to life through the room, and the dead began to walk, glowing blue weapons aimed at the people standing in front of him.

"I get it now." His dad's voice was soft, awed, and amazed. "Arawn...the Celtic god. You're him reborn...it all makes sense now."

His power faltered for long enough for the anger to disappear, confusion replacing it, and he looked at his dad with a frown. His control on the dead fell apart, the bodies falling to the ground. "What?"

"When you first told me your name, it reminded me of something," Loki said, and then coughed up blood, his green eyes washed out and pained. "Now I know what. You're the reborn god of death, Arawn from the Celtic pantheon."

"You...you knew?" he asked, now even more confused.

"No, not until just now." Loki tried to sit up, and growled softly when Arawn tried to help him. He managed, but he was holding his ribs tightly. "How..." He winced. _"How did you get away from him?"_

_"We had a bit of help from Death itself,"_ Morrigan said dryly.

Despite the pain, Loki's gaze was sharp and analyzing as he looked between the two of them. Arawn felt a vague need to flinch when he met the penetrating gaze, but found that he was far to weary to do so. So he just held his dads gaze, watching the pieces click together, until a dark understanding filled the green eyes.

"I see," he said softly, and Arawn offered him a small, weary smile.

"I was right. I was fucking right..." Tony said quietly, at first triumphantly, and then pissed. "You were being used against your dad."

"So you knew that, and still let this happen?" Arawn snapped, his anger not forgotten.

"Wait, what?" Rogers asked, stepping between them and glaring. "Who are you?"

"I am Arawn Lokison, Wolf Brother, and Loki is my father. The wolf at my side is Morrigan, my sister and partner." Tony actually flinched at the politeness of his tone. The politer Arawn got, the worse his anger.

"And you were kidnapped and used against Loki? He was forced into it?" It was clear he didn't believe a word of it.

Loki barked out a harsh laugh, and once he had started, he couldn't stop. His broken ribs dug into his lungs, hysteria clawing at his mind, panic thundering his heart, but he couldn't stop.

"Forced?" He managed to get out, smiling madly, and a drop of blood left the corner of his mouth and rolled down his chin. "Forced...I suppose that's a good a term as any." Then he groaned, and giggled at the lance of pain.

"What the hell does that mean?" Barton demanded, his voice tight with fury. _Ah yes, the crow. _

His smile turned silky as he looked at his onetime puppet. "What I did to you is nothing compared to Thanos." He laughed briefly, then spit blood onto the floor. He turned crimson teeth to the occupants in the room. "Though you needn't worry your frail mortal hearts. I did agree to lead this attack long before he took over my mind."

He grinned challengingly when the man loosed the knocked arrow, then glowered at the metal hand when it was deflected.

"You agreed," Anthony said quietly, firmly, almost a bit disbelievingly.

Loki's smile grew a bit lopsided as he finally met those blue eyes, and he nodded. "I did."

"How many are dead?" Loki blinked when Anthony's eyes took on a feverish glow, and a chill went down his spine as he realized exactly what the question was.

"I don't-"

"Don't!" Anthony yelled harshly, hand slashing through the air. Loki grit his teeth as the others shifted nervously, unnerved by the intensity in which the two men stared at each other. _Don't lie._

"Anthony..."

"Stark." It was short and clipped. "It's Stark."

And that hurt a bit more then Loki would have admitted. He knew this was going to happen as soon as he put his plans into motion, following them down the slope as they turned into an avalanche. He would either ride it, or be sucked under. All he could do was fight for the outcome he wanted. Seeing the steely emotion there though made him regret, for just a moment.

He couldn't answer that question. That would reveal to much weakness to the people he was only under a tentative truce with. It would show just how much of a hold Anthony Stark had over him.

He could not do that to Anthony.

"I will not answer that," he said softly. "Stark."

He was actually quite surprised when Stark just smirked at him, eyes flashing with something like approval before turning away.

"Do you regret any of it?" Romanoff asked, and he turned to her.

"No," Loki said, his smile patronizing and nothing but teeth now. "I will do anything to protect what is mine."

"Well that just breaks my heart. I thought _I_ was yours," Tony said with a return smile, all darkness and bitter amusement. The two ignored the rest of the people that were staring at them with open shock and confusion.

"You're still alive aren't you?" Loki returned sharply, then bent over as he coughed.

Arawn sank down onto his knees when a cry of dismay when he saw the blood pour over his dads fingers, reaching inside himself to find the power bestowed on him by his grandmother.

"Don't you dare," he hissed, teeth clenched as he fought against the death magic coursing through him. It didn't want to let him go, and he growled in panic. He hadn't come all this way to see his dad die right before him! _Not when we're safe!_ "Don't die damnit!"

He felt icy fingers card once through his hair, sharp points digging into his scalp. Cold reminders of the warnings he had been given, of using the power before he was ready.

_"We will have a conversation soon, my Avatar." _Its voice was a cold hiss in his skull, and he swallowed hard at hearing that tone. It never boded well, and how his blood froze was testament to that. He felt very, very small. _"There are things you need to understand."_

He shuddered at the words, nausea twisting in his belly. It took its power back, and he was running on enough adrenaline that he was able to summon his innate power. It was enough to heal the worst injuries and stop the bleeding for the time being, but by then, he was going on sheer stubbornness.

His sorcery was suddenly gone from his senses, the abrupt shift sending a massive migraine ricocheting through his skull.

It was all he could do to put out a hopefully bracing hand before pitching into complete darkness.


	10. New Beginning

**A/N: And thus is the beginning of the end of the story. Not many chapters left, now. Thank you all.**

* * *

Loki held out his arms, catching Arawn as he pitched forward. His heart jumped to his throat as he braced himself, curling his son close to his chest. Movement caught his eye, and he growled warningly, in unison with Morrigan. Then he blinked, letting his lips fall back over his bloody teeth when the instinct ebbed back. He realized why a moment later. Stark and Thor had both taken steps towards them, and he didn't question the instinct to treat them as enemies.

"Don't come any closer." He swallowed hard. "Not yet."

"Brother, I-"

"I AM NOT YOUR BROTHER!" He roared, eyes sparking.

"But...I thought you lied, to protect Arawn and Morrigan..." Thor said softly, voice and expression rife with confusion.

Loki barked a laugh, uncaring that it made all of them flinch with the broken edges of himself that it revealed. "And what, pray tell, do you think I lied about?"

Thor froze, and no one dared to breathe in the moment he hesitated. "...everything."

Loki laughed right in his face. "You poor, naive fool. _Everything_ I did was to protect those I care about." His smile was nothing but teeth when Thor looked hurt and confused. "I only care about those that care for me back, _brother_."

"I do care! Why would you-"

"You do not care for _me_!" Loki interrupted, his arms tightening around the unconscious figure in his arms. "You care for an idea, a fantasy that you have made up in your head. You are enraptured with the idea of being a big brother, to protect me and shelter me-"

"But, it is," was all Thor got out before a dagger came out of nowhere to bury in his upper arm. It melted into emerald light, but the blood was real. So was the shock. He knew his brother was serious when he used his daggers.

"NO IT'S NOT!" Loki roared, his hand outstretched and his eyes burning copper. "I do not need your protection. I do not need your stupidity, or your immature way of dealing with things. I do not need to be your shadow any longer, brother."

"But you're not...I mean..." Thor actually floundered, not knowing what to say, but Loki was suddenly tired.

Tired enough that he let his shoulders sag a bit, curling around his son. Morrigan never faced away from the others, but she came and wrapped around them from behind. She was always hot, a side effect of being born on an ice world. "I don't want to discuss this anymore, Thor. If you would take me to jail now..."

_"I'm not quite done with you yet little god,"_ Thanos's calm voice in his head sent shivers down his spine, before it bowed with the sudden pain radiating through his body. The only thing that kept him on his knees and not face first into the floor was Arawn in his arms.

Then his vision swirled, and he grabbed his head as he doubled over from the sudden pounding pain in his mind. "No, no no no...NO!"

_"Yes little god,"_ Thanos hissed in his mind, and Loki screamed as the Titans power was shoved through him, making his body burn from the inside out, and ripping all of his carefully healed scars apart. _"You think you and your children can get the better of me? You DARE?!"_

"Yes I fucking dare!" he screamed through the pain, and suddenly started laughing again even as blood poured from his mouth and down his chin. He grinned madly, absently thinking he'd have to thank one Bruce Banner for forcing the hooks from his mind. "You fucked with me, you tortured my children, and I warned you Thanos. _Remember that._"

He funneled all his rage, hate, and pain into a mental spear, and sent it hurtling through the connection. He fell onto his side, still laughing as Thanos screamed in a rage, and his laughter only grew when Thanos redoubled his efforts. He tried to break through his mental barriers with as much force as he could, but Loki was having none of it. It would take more than a Titan to get through them.

Suddenly it was all gone, and his laughter tapered off into hiccupping giggles, tears coursing freely down his cheeks as his hands tightened on...he looked, and saw that Stark had the metal arms around him and Arawn, the arc reactor pressed against his back. A strange resonance began to pulse through him, and it spoke of his exhaustion and blood loss that it took him a moment to realize that he was feeling Stark's heartbeat through the energy of the reactor. It took him another long moment to make the connection that it was Stark that had cut off the connection.

He smiled up at the man, his first true one in what felt like lifetimes, not really noticing how the blue eyes went wide in surprise and recognition. "Protect...them..." he whispered, raising a hand covered in blood to cup the man's cheek.

Then he let himself fall into welcome unconsciousness.

**[X][X][X][X][X]**

Tony growled when Thor took a few steps forward, arms tightening around the unconscious man in his arms. He didn't even feel the least bit guilty when Thor gave him a horrified look.

"You think I would harm my own family?" he demanded, and Tony shot him a look that screamed 'yes'. "You have no knowledge of what he did, Iron Man."

"And you do?" he snapped back, eyes narrow and sharp like a blade. "He's your brother Goldilocks, but you took everything he did at face value, without looking deeper. You blindly trusted that Arawn was safe in Asgard, _when you should have known better_."

"How was I supposed to know?" Thor shot back, hand tensing around the hilt of Mjolnir. "Loki has always lied and-"

"That is where you're wrong," Tony said with a wide, cold smile. "Rarely does Loki lie outright. He twists it. 95% of what comes out of his mouth is technically the truth."

"And how would you know?" Rogers asked sharply, gaze suspicious as he stood there and glared, arms crossed over his chest.

Tony's smile only widened, and it was cold, knowing, and sharp. Showing them a glimpse of the man that he hid under the armor, the smiles, the girls, the money. The ruthless man that was only on the side of good because it just so happened to fall in line with his personal goals.

"It takes one to know one," he said sweetly, then looked at the wolf, dismissing them all. "Darling, can you get Arawn? They should at least be on a bed."

_"Of course Tony,"_ she replied, and gently nosed Arawn until she could get her lower jaw under his torso, growling when Thor took another step closer, looking as though he wanted to help.

"I am not your enemy!" He boomed in frustration, but both man and wolf ignored him as she followed him down a long hallway. Tony was glad of his armor as he held Loki, kicking the door open and hoping that it hadn't been destroyed.

There were a few broken windows, but nothing on the bed, so he laid the god down, and Morrigan sat Arawn next to him. It was only moments later that Arawn curled up along Loki's side, and the man wrapped a possessive arm around his son.

His smile fell, especially when he heard the others start coming down the hallway. He went to scrub a hand over his face, stopping the motion when he remembered he still had his gauntlet on. "Morrigan, I'm an idiot."

_"You couldn't have known Tony. I believe he was planning on telling you his plans, until Thanos forced his way into fathers mind. Then, he couldn't risk it without risking our lives."_

"Yea, I get that now," he muttered, straightening his back as the door opened. He added the name Thanos to his mind, now knowing this was the person who put all of this in motion. _"Doesn't make it any easier to deal with."_ He thought at her, and didn't expect how she jerked, staring at him.

_"How is this possible? How did I hear you?" _she asked softly, staring back at him.

_"You heard me?"_ He blinked. _"Wait, I thought people could speak to you mind to mind."_

She shook her massive head, seeming to get over the shock. _"No, only Arawn and father can. Most interesting..."_

He snorted, finally turning to face the group of people that were standing in the doorway, staring at the two of them with a mix of anger, disbelief, and pure frustration.

"Sup guys? Oh, welcome to my home, I guess," he said nonchalantly, waving a hand around him. "Now let's take this conversation outside."

"We can't leave him alone Tony," Steve said, glaring. "He is a criminal, and Fury is on his way to pick him up."

That sent an unpleasant chill right down his spine, bringing a grin to his face that was dark and defiant. He relished the way Natasha and Clint's posture changed slightly, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "No can do Capsicle. Didn't Pikachu over there explain what happened?"

Everyone looked at Thor, who glowered at Tony. "I didn't feel it was my place."

Tony snorted, absently scratching the back of Morrigan's neck when she put his head under his palm. "Alrighty then, story time boy and girls. Gather 'round.

"You all know Loki." His smile slashed across his face. "The red headed frog biter there next to him is his son, and this wolf is his daughter. Oh, by the way, she is as intelligent as you guys."

"Not as intelligent as you?" Steve quipped, and a flash of cold anger skittered along his nerve endings. He leveled a dark smile at the man.

"No, she's not. No offense meant darlin'," he said to the wolf. She just huffed, eyes closed as he sank his metal fingers deeper into her coat, giving her an almost massage. "These other two though, yea. They're both geniuses, up at my level. Anywho, the story is this. A guy called Thanos somehow got Loki, Arawn, and Morrigan, and then used his children against him to get the Tesseract."

"So you're saying that Loki was controlled just like me?" Clint asked with a scoff. "I don't buy it."

"Essentially yea," he said with a sweet, malicious smile. He had a headache, his lover just tried taking over the world, and he desperately needed a drink and a shower.

"It's the truth."

Tony spun around at hearing the raspy, exhausted voice from the bed, only to find Loki staring at them with foggy eyes, both arms now wrapped tight around Arawn. Morrigan gave a small sound of distress and climbed onto the bed, settling her bulk behind the god. Loki just smiled slightly. "Morri, I'm fine."

_"No you're not,"_ she said, and Tony guessed that she broadcasted it since the others, except Thor, twitched.

Loki's smile turned bitter and sad. "No, I'm not," he agreed, speaking quietly to her. "I will be though, now that he is gone from my mind."

"So you were being controlled," Natasha said almost musingly, but her eyes were sharp.

"Yes and no, Agent Romanoff." _Now is the perfect time to question him,_ Tony thought practically, with a bit of ruthlessness thrown in. _He lets his mouth run away from him when he's exhausted._

"At first, when Thanos plucked me from the Void, I refused to help him. He had a contingency plan in effect however. He had taken my children, and used them as leverage to get me to do what he wanted. What I said earlier still holds true." Loki took a deep breath, closing his eyes and burying his face into the back of Arawn's mop of hair. Tony couldn't help but notice how pale, drawn, and exhausted he looked. "I regret none of it. I did what I had to do to protect my family."

"You stabbed me brother," Thor said angrily, taking a step forward. Morrigan growled and Loki raised his head long enough to glare at Thor, the green clashingly bright against the bloodshot sclera.

"You're obviously not dead, _brother_," he sneered the last word, making it as sarcastic as possible. "If I had truly wanted you dead, any of you, then you would be." Thor looked like he was going to say something again, but Morrigan beat him to it.

_"Do you deny it, uncle? If father really wanted you all dead, truly wanted to take over this world, do you honestly believe that he could have been stopped?"_

Tony couldn't hide the small smirk as everyone looked highly uneasy at that, even more so when Thor nodded reluctantly.

"I will agree with that, Morrigan. However-"

"Stop it," Tony said sharply, glaring. "Now is not the time to be arguing something like-"

"I agree with you Stark." They all whipped around when Fury's voice came from the door. The man just smiled coldly at them all. "Now, Loki. I have two conditions for you, and if you agree to them, I'll let you stay out of a jail cell."

"Name them," Loki said tiredly, closing his eyes again.

"First, you swear that you will never again threaten my planet with war, and two, that you will make reparations for your crimes."

"What, like become an Avenger?" Tony scoffed.

"Stark, I do not need you to speak for me," Loki said, but there was amusement and a softness to it that fled when he spoke to Fury next. "I swear that I will not threaten your planet with war, and that I will help rebuild your world from the damage I caused."

A clear shudder wracked his frame, and surprisingly Fury looked at Thor. "Can I trust his word?"

Thor was looking at Loki oddly, as though he couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. "You can. When an oath is given, such as he did, it cannot be broken without dire consequences."

"Good. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Loki, I'm giving you two days to recover before I want the whole story, and you can start helping. Thor, do you have the Tesseract?"

"No," Loki rasped. "The Tesseract is mine."

"Loki you cannot-" Thor started hotly, cut off by Loki's huff of laughter.

"I didn't say it was _willing_ on my end. The Tesseract had bonded to me, and became mine when Thanos's control broke over both me and the artifact. It has taken a liking to me." He held up his hand, and with just a twitch of his fingers the spear that Natasha was still holding ripped away from her and floated over to Loki. As his hand curled around it, the blue gem pulsed, then turned a shining emerald. Loki's smile was coldly satisfied. "You'll find now, that the Tesseract is no longer blue. It had bonded to my magic."

"That isn't possible," Thor muttered with a frown, though he looked as though he believed it. "Father made that, it shouldn't be possible."

Loki snorted. "You should never say something is impossible to me, Thor. You of all people know I do not believe in the word."

That startled a honest laugh out of Tony, earning him utterly shocked glares, but he couldn't help himself. Even Loki looked surprised, but what surprised everyone else was how Loki's eyes went slightly soft, a small, fond smile tugging the corners.

Tony got hold of himself, though he couldn't help a few sniggers as he waved his hand. "Sorry, don't mind me. Just, yea, carry on."

Loki's eyes hardened again when they turned to Thor. He paused for a moment, sensing Arawn wake up. He slid as carefully as he could so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, his son now between him and Morrigan. Arawn never even opened his eyes.

"_Brother_," he hissed, and drew himself painfully upright. He squared his shoulders, and exhaled slowly. "There are things that are private between us and Asgard. I would like to speak with you about them." His eyes flicked over the group, then back. "Alone."

"Now listen here," Fury started, but a rumble of thunder echoed through the broken windows.

Thor never looked away from Loki's stare, eyes intense, every inch the commanding prince. "Leave us Director. I will not allow my brother to escape."

"Don't ruin my bedroom either, more. Don't ruin it more," Tony said sternly, pointing a finger at them both.

Loki just inclined his head briefly. "I only wish to talk, at the moment."

Fury's jaw clenched, but one last look at Thor had him turning on his heel. "Fine. You have a half hour."

"No," Loki said quietly, dangerously, for the moment looking every inch a figure of royalty. His eyes were a flinty emerald. "We have until we're done."

Fury said nothing, but his jaw clenched as he walked out of the room, the other Avengers at his heels. Only Tony stayed, silently asking Loki if he wanted him to stay. Loki just shook his head slightly, and Tony shrugged, walking out of the room and closing the door.

He froze as he saw Fury and the rest staring at him with furious, expectant looks.

"I need a drink for this," he growled, and walked right past them all. He went over to the end of the platform where the machines were for taking his suit off, and Jarvis complied. He had only taken one step back in, now sans suit, when Fury marched up to him.

"Start talking," he demanded, and Tony glared at him, brushing past and going to the bar. He calmly filled his glass with his best scotch, and took a sip, all while staring down one Nick Fury, who looked as though he was going to have an aneurism. _Well fuck off. I don't want to talk about any of this anyway._

"Tony," Bruce said quietly, demandingly, and Tony huffed, now turning to glare at the rest.

"We...well, I guess you can't say lovers, 'cause it was only one night, but it's close enough."

"You and Loki?" Fury asked, and Tony gave him a 'no shit' look.

"I met them, Loki and Arawn, when frog muncher was 16. He'd just graduated high school-"

"Wait," Steve said, holding up a hand. "Arawn went to school here? I thought he was a...god, like Loki and Thor."

"He did. And he is. Anyway, he got my attention. That kid is close to me when it comes to engineering and tech, so of course he got my attention. It wasn't until I met them that I learned he graduated MIT at 16."

Bruce whistled softly. "A year before you."

Tony sent him a sharp smile. "6 months, but close enough. Kid's got some brains under that mop of hair. Well, I met them, and I had no clue who they were at the time. Then Loki saved my life. Arawn was still human at that point, actually." He mused, humming as he thought back on it.

"He saved your life?" Natasha asked sharply, frowning in disbelief.

Tony snorted. "Did I stutter? I got hit by some .50 cal's, and one got lucky enough to get through the suit. He used his magic voodoo powers to heal me." He shrugged then. "After that, we had sex, and the two of them went home."

"How long did you know each other?" Bruce asked, and at least he didn't look so antagonistic now.

"Almost three months."

"Why didn't you say something?" This was from Clint, and he sounded absolutely livid.

"It wasn't your business," Tony said coldly, glaring at the archer.

"How is it not our business? Your boyfriend just tried taking over the world!"

"Because it's the past, and in case you don't remember, I didn't exactly let sentiment get in my way of beating his ass!"

"Stop it!" Fury barked, so Tony switched his glare to him. "Don't look at me like that Stark. I want a full report on what happened between the two of you."

"No." His voice was flat and unyielding, just like his stare.

"Stark," Fury warned.

"Hell no. What happened between me and him happened _between me and him. _It's no one else's business. And if you continue to keep pestering me about it, you _will_ regret it." He let one of his masks slip as he glared, showing the director the ruthless, cold core to him that he kept hidden under all his jokes and philanthropy. It made Fury narrow his eyes in speculation.

"If you don't-"

"What? What exactly are you going to do to me Fury?" he said with a light laugh, refilling his glass as he became all sharp smiles and languid, dangerous gestures. He looked back up with an easy, ruthless grin. "Stark Industries holds half the grants of SHIELD's, _and_ my money is at least half of your budget. Most of the weapons you use are owned by me, and oh, don't forget that lovely flying ship of yours." He took a drink, and chuckled softly, his words cutting like glass. "You know, the one that _I designed_ for you?"

"You wouldn't," Fury ground out.

Tony only gave him a broad smile that was all teeth, eyes as hard as sapphires. "Leave me and mine alone, and I won't."

"You're still calling him yours?" Steve demanded, and Tony sneered, his patience worn thin.

"Well he fucked me through my mattress and saved my life, so yea, he's mine. If you have a problem with that, you can get out."

Clint snarled and turned on his heel, and was gone down the elevator. Natasha looked at Fury and he nodded to her, and then she was gone. Bruce just shrugged, arms crossed over his naked chest. Steve looked around, and admitted defeat, sighing and rubbing a hand over his face.

"Look, just...don't let him compromise you."

"Did you miss the part where I kicked his ass?" he mused, bitterly amused as he swirled the alcohol around in his glass.

"And you did it well, I admit," a tired voice came from the door, and Tony smirked.

"You want that drink now, Rudolph?" He started pouring it before Loki could even respond.

"I do not have a shiny red nose, Stark," Loki said, his voice a rasp from exhaustion.

Tony finally looked up, only to see a new sort of relaxation between the brothers, an easing of hostilities. It didn't help that Thor had his arm around Loki's shoulders, supporting him, and Loki was allowing it.

Tony smirked, trying to ignore the relief that made his shoulders sag a bit. "Alright Maleficent, here ya go."

Loki ignored everyone else as their eyes locked, and he pulled away from Thor to walk slowly over to the bar. He sat, and cocked an eyebrow, taking the offered drink. "Really Stark? I am not female either."

"Hmm, true. Your horns are more impressive then hers anyway." He grinned. "Prongs then. I've always liked that one."

Loki opened his mouth to argue, then shut it. "I...can't actually come up with an argument for that one."

"Before you two start mauling each other, I have a mess I need to clean up." Fury glared at them all before turning on his heel. "Bruce, stay here and make sure these two don't burn down what's left of the city."

"Aye-yi captain," Bruce muttered sarcastically, making Fury snort before exiting the building.

It left Tony, Loki, Steve, Thor, and Bruce sitting there, the awkward silence growing as Tony and Loki sipped their drinks. Until Tony blinked, remembering something.

So, he tried it. Carefully, he mentally sent a thought to Loki, feeling ridiculous until Loki's head snapped up.

_"How the hell..." _He returned mentally, and Tony grinned brilliantly.

_"I have no clue, but I figured if Morrigan could hear me, you might too. How the hell is this possible?"_

Loki frowned, and Tony could see the thoughts flying behind those emerald eyes, and then they dawned with comprehension...and chagrin. _"Do you remember when I healed you, and you found out about my godhood?"_

_"Yea...what about it?"_

_"We have the same blood type...and you were bleeding out to fast for me to retrieve blood from elsewhere. I used my own."_

Tony gaped, and Loki winced, the pieces coming together in his brain. _"Well then...that explains it I guess."_

"Loki! Change the Tesseract back!" Thor's voice boomed through the room, startling them and making Bruce huff laughter. He hadn't even heard Thor leave to go to the roof to retrieve the thing. But there it was, and Loki hadn't been lying; it was green.

Loki glared at Thor, wincing as he waved his hand and his scepter appeared, the gem still softly glowing green. "I told you Thor. The Tesseract had bonded to me. I knew I had forgotten something," he muttered as he stood and walked over to Thor, tapping the tip of the spear against the cube. It flashed once and then crumbled into dust.

"What did you do?!" Thor demanded, grabbing the front of Loki's shirt.

He waved the weapon pointedly, an eyebrow cocked in derision, calm as could be as Thor shook him a bit. "Transferred the energy. That one was too unwieldy."

"Father will not be pleased with this," Thor growled.

Loki almost growled back, but gave Thor one of his sweetest grins. "Then allow me to deliver the news to him personally." The gem flashed green, and Thor was enveloped in a crackling light, before disappearing with a pop. Tony blinked a few times, lips twitching.

"You just sent him back, didn't you?" he asked, though he didn't really need to. The honest grin Loki gave him made him lose it, and he had to hold his stomach as he laughed.

"Without the Tesseract, and me, it takes much energy to send someone to a different realm. It will be awhile before Thor returns." He paused, looking thoughtfully at the spot the thunder god just stood. "If he does."

"Will you be going back to Asgard?" Bruce asked as he walked up, now looking more curious then angry at the trickster.

"I will, eventually. Now that my family and my mind are free from Thanos, I will begin paying my dues to all three realms I have wronged."

"Three?" Tony asked, contemplating filling his glass again, but grabbed a bottle of water instead. He did fill Loki's when the god held out his empty glass. Concern filled Tony when he saw that graceful hand shake, but he said nothing.

"Mm. Asgard, Midgard, and Jotunheim." He smirked slightly at the last, and Tony's concern only grew. It was the tired amusement that only comes after hysteria and panic has run its course. "Arawn will not be pleased with me because of the last."

"Say what?" A groggy, raspy voice said from the hallway, and a disheveled Arawn walked out, scrubbing a hand over his face. Tony couldn't help but snicker at the bush of red around the kids head, even though Loki stiffened in his seat.

"I...may have tried to destroy Jotunheim," Loki said quietly, as he turned in his seat to face his son.

Arawn blinked, blinked again, and then his face became positively thunderous. "You did _what_?"

"It was the perfect way to end the war that Thor had started," Loki said calmly, voice low and convincing. Tony could tell he actually believed the words.

"And to get some revenge in the process," Arawn said darkly, and Loki tensed a bit more as he nodded shortly. "Dad..."

"I didn't kill Laufey when I had the chance," he snapped. "Arawn, all of my plans were not because I found out I was adopted, or a frost giant. It was because I was _lied_ to. It was because of fear, of my own selfish desire to prove to my family that I was _worthy_, that I was Thor's _equal_." He laughed bitterly, quietly, downing the rest of his drink in one gulp. "I believed destroying Jotunheim and the threat that is the frost giants would endear me to Odin. I was very, very wrong."

"Did you ever think that dear ol' dad would have destroyed them with this Bifrost thing if he truly wanted to get rid of them?" Tony asked casually, taking a drink of water as Loki shot a glare at him. "Just saying."

"I had thought of that, actually," he said evenly, and dangerously. "You forget, _Anthony Stark_, that I was _raised_ by the man, and have spent the past 2,000 years as you mortals count, by his side. I truly believe that Odin is too soft with thoughts of peace." His smile was sharp and taunting. "I was proven right incidentally."

"So he's already brokering peace, hmm?" Arawn said thoughtfully, walking forward as he spoke, him and Morrigan settling into the depression made by Loki's own body. Steve and Bruce shivered at the way they both inhaled as Arawn curled up at her side. They were settled right in the middle of the large bloodstain that the god had left, and it was a bit unnerving to see them curled up together on it. Father and son smiled at each other gently, understandingly, and haunted.

"It smells like you," Arawn whispered, sounding much younger than his twenty odd years.

"Children..." Loki whispered back, broken. He walked over to them swiftly, kneeling and pulling Arawn tightly to his chest.

Arawn was a very warm, real presence against his heart, and he reached out a hand, burying it deep into Morrigan's neck. He pulled her to them and she willingly curled around them, making a low growl in her throat. He held them both tightly for a moment, reveling in the fact that they had survived with each other, and more or less intact. He had never been so grateful to feel the warm thud of their pulses against his, their sorcery brushing against his. It was coming home to him, and he actually ducked his head and let his hair cover his face when he felt tears. Arawn was already crying silently against his chest, the only sign the hitching of his shoulders.

For the first time in what felt like eternity, they weren't tears from agony or despair. They were there as signs that they were alive. They could fight back. They had a chance now.


	11. Machinations

The next week went over surprisingly well. Loki and Arawn both did their parts, dressed in normal clothing as they helped the humans repair. Thor didn't come back, but neither of them expected him to. Loki knew Heimdall was watching them, since none of them had tried to hide themselves from the all seeing gaze.

It was three days in, and they had finally gotten some time to themselves, down on the streets of New York. They were sitting on a curb, eating pizza in front of the building they were helping rebuild. Morrigan was the one who brought it up, laying at their feet in a 'normal' version of herself. _"The heroes do not know of your necromancy abilities a bhráthair."_

Loki's lips twitched as she called him brother. She had taken a liking to the word as his children delved into their memories to learn the ancient language. He calmly took another bite of pizza. _"Stark suspects, but if any of the others do, they've given no sign of it."_

_"And they do make sure to watch us constantly," _Arawn said, and it was only slightly bitter. More sarcastic then anything.

Morrigan huffed out a breath of laughter. _"Apparently the two of you are easy on the eyes."_

Father and son just blinked, and she let out a strangled whine, laughter bursting through their minds. She fell onto her side and panted as they glared at her. "What the hell Morri?"

_"Your...your faces were priceless!" _she burst out, and if she had been two legged she'd have been wiping her eyes. _"I needed that."_

Loki sighed and just shook his head, relaxing back onto his hands as he stared at the demolished building. _"What have you heard daughter of mine?"_

She snorted, stretching out on her stomach, enjoying the cool pavement under the awning above them. She had thinned out her fur even more, but the afternoon sun was hot in May. _"It is so easy to become a shadow around them. They don't see me as a threat at all." _She laughed darkly, and Loki couldn't help but let his lips twist into a smirk. _"Bruce is the one that surprised me, actually."_

Arawn gaped as Loki's eyebrow went up. _"You're telling me that Bruce Banner believes us to be attractive?"_

If she could, she would have been smirking at him. Her eyes told him everything though. _"Oh not you father."_

If possible, Arawn became paler then before. Loki's eyes flashed as his jaw clenched. _"You have proof?"_

"Woah! Wait! When...the fuck?" Arawn nearly shouted the words, earning them a look or two from a few people walking the streets. He went a furious red, and his jaw snapped shut. "_What the hell Morri? Are you serious? Bruce?"_

_"I have been watching the way they all watch the two of you, and the doctor surprised me." _Her voice went serious and soft, as she turned her head to watch two people joking down the street. _"He watches you the same way Tony watches father."_

Loki leaned forward, his curiosity spiked. _"How is that?"_

_"You really need me to tell you?"_ She turned back and looked at him, then rolled her eyes and got up to get a drink of water. _"Idiots, both of you. It is not the way of lust, though, there is that. They are hungry for knowledge, for something different, for minds that will be able to keep up with theirs." _She licked her lips clean, and looked up at them with icy blue eyes so pale they were almost white. They were also dead serious. _"I will need to build myself some armor to deal with the four of you."_

_"You believe that I will allow this man to pursue my son?"_ he hissed, nearly growling through their heads.

She just gave him a slightly exasperated look, mixed with infinite patience. _"You will, because Arawn is already interested, and he's your son."_

Loki's head immediately whipped around, and Arawn's blush came back full force, spreading down his neck as he swiftly looked away. The concrete gave way a bit under his fingers as he bared his teeth a bit.

"Arawn." Then he saw his son's jaw firm, and he did growl. "You cannot be serious."

"So what if I am?" Arawn turned and glared at him, his golden eyes flashing with stubbornness and challenge. "It's not like he can kill me!"

"That is not the reason," he retorted, fighting with himself to calm down. He knew rationally that Arawn was over the age of consent, and more then capable of making his own decisions. Yet it didn't stop the hot rip of anger as he thought of said man possibly touching his son intimately.

"That what is the reason?" Arawn demanded hotly, pushing as he always did.

"It is none of your business," he said coldly, then flinched when Arawn's jaw went slack with shock. He looked away and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose tightly. "I apologize...give me a moment. Please."

He kept his eyes closed as he breathed slow, in and out a few times, then lowered his hand and raised his eyes. "I...have no reasons to keep you away from him, should you choose to pursue this. Nothing logical, anyway."

Arawn frowned, then understanding lit his eyes. A wry smile tugged at his lips as he shook his head. His eyes were filled with amusement and happiness. "You could have just said it's a parent kid thing."

Loki tilted his head slightly, thinking about it for but a moment before nodding. "I agree. I do not like the idea of someone who is so much older, and...different."

Arawn snorted, cocking an eyebrow. "Oh yes, because we're so normal."

Loki had to smile at that. "That is true." Then he took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I will refrain from speaking to Bruce about this unless it becomes serious. I am leaving that decision up to the two of you." He gave his son a hard look when Arawn grinned. "Be careful if you do decided to pursue him."

"Yea yea," Arawn said, standing a wiping his hands on his jeans. "Let's finish this. I need real food."

Loki just snorted and stood.

It also became a common sight for Bruce and Tony to be working in the lab, and the two gods - sweaty, dirty, and ravenous - laughing and joking with them as they ate in the lab. Tony had been miffed about that at first, but then he saw Arawn and Loki crack a true smile, and couldn't really complain after that. It was one such night, after everyone had returned to their respective home - Tony refused to let Steve stay there for the moment. There was way too much bad blood between father, son, and the good Captain. Hell, Tony had enough issues with the man always comparing him to his father that he wasn't going to be around. Arawn had dragged Bruce down into another lab, curious about some documentary about bats the scientist had been talking about, so Loki and Tony were in his private lab alone.

Loki had been keeping a sharp eye on Tony the entire night, and the inventor wasn't really sure why. So he just returned the scrutiny as he polished off the last box of fried rice.

"Stark, I think we need to run some tests on you."

Tony nearly spit out his food when Loki said that, coughing to clear the rice from his throat. "What?" he croaked. "Why?"

Loki hummed in amusement, crossing one jean clad leg over the other, putting his elbow on the table and leaning his head into his palm. "Do me a favor. You know the strength test you put me and Arawn through? I think you should do it yourself."

Tony blinked, then frowned as the pieces began clicking together in his brain. His eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me."

Loki inclined his head once. "I believe so."

He hopped off his stool, food forgotten for the moment as he nearly ran over to the other side of the lab. All the equipment was still set up, and Tony hooked himself up with no problem at all. He was silent the entire time, his brain working overtime as he went through test after test. He remembered bits and pieces of the past few years, since Loki had healed him, the figures adding up too neatly in his mind. Times when he should have died, and didn't. When he should have been at the end of his rope, and yet still found the energy to get back up. His increase in appetite, the grey only at his temples, when by all rights it should be more, since he was pushing 40.

He didn't really exit his thoughts until the last punch to the mechanical hand, and Jarvis said, "The readings are complete, sir."

"Let me hear them," he rasped, out of breath but not too bad.

"In comparison to the Aesir, you rank below all of them in endurance, speed, and strength. However, you rank above Mr. Rogers in all those areas. I must admit sir, that your eyesight, hearing, and reaction times improved significantly after Loki healed you."

"So it is as I thought," Loki mused, cleaning off the food with the help of Dummy.

"So am I immortal like you?" Tony asked, unreasonably angry but also childishly excited. And very, very panicked.

"Not quite. You would not be fully like us unless you ate one of our apples. However," he paused, and looked up at Tony. His eyes were carefully shuttered. "You're no longer purely human."

All of the anger left Tony in a rush, as he sat heavily down onto a stool, putting his head in his hands. "Alright alright, don't give me those damn puppy eyes. Fuck...shit, damnit, fuck!"

"I sincerely apologize, Stark. I did not know what the consequences would be."

"Would you have done it if you had known?"

"Yes. If it meant saving your life all over again, even knowing that you would hate me for it, I would do it all over again."

Tony looked up, frowning. He met those green eyes, and saw the resignation, but also the steel core that had so intrigued him to the man in the first place. "You really don't regret any of it, do you?"

Loki shrugged, looking away. "There are certain things, I will admit, but on the whole? No. I did what I had to do."

"Am I included in that?" Tony was already regretting blurting the words out when Loki looked at him with a confused frown. "Eh, nevermind. Don't worry about it."

"No, Stark, what did you mean?" Loki asked as he stood, walking over to him.

"Honestly, it's nothing, forget I said anything." Tony didn't think he was doing a good job of hiding his racing heart as Loki leaned over him, trapping him between the table and a very naked chest.

"Stark..." Loki drawled, trying to ignore the curl of arousal low in his gut as Anthony licked his lips, eyes skating over his chest until they finally came back up. He paused at the microchip that Loki never took off, and Loki froze when one hand came up to gently touch the swinging metal.

"Have you ever taken this off?" His voice was husky, imploring...hungry.

Loki swallowed, hard. "Not since I put it on."

"So...am I still yours?" Tony looked up, and Loki had to tighten his hands on the edge of the work table so he didn't grab the man and ravish him right there.

"You're still alive, aren't you?" he returned flippantly, trying to brush it off. He went to back away, but a strong, calloused hand wrapped around the microchip, keeping him firmly in place. Loki strained a bit, but they both knew that he wouldn't chance breaking the chain. It made a flare of resentment burn in his gut, and he raised a hand to wrap it around Anthony's. "Let go."

"No." It was flung at him, challenging, but Loki looked into those blue eyes. He had never been one to be deceived by words and gestures. He looked at the eyes, and actions. "You made your choice Loki dear. You decided to let yourself be caught, to admit to your lies, and ask for help."

"I did not-" he growled, words cut off when Anthony tugged on the chain.

"You _did_. Maybe not out loud, but by giving up, by telling us everything that happened? Yea sweetcheeks, that's asking for help where I come from."

"No, that is not asking for help," he hissed, nearly growling. "That is merely good strategy."

"Bullshit," Stark returned, his hand tightening even more on the chain. His eyes were propane blue with emotion. "Fine, if that's what you want to go with honey. How about this then." He pulled the god even closer, till their lips were only a breath apart. Then he said, with surgical precision, "You _had_ to come here."

Loki felt his body freeze at the statement, but he didn't even get a chance to say anything before Stark was speaking again.

"You have nowhere else to go. Asgard will try you as a criminal, Thanos will torture you to death, and so would Jotunheim. I'm sure there's places you could hide, but here...here you can be you. Here, you don't have to hide. Here, you can plot, and scheme, and figure out what the fuck to do with your life, because everywhere else would see you dead."

Loki tried not to wince at the truth of the statements, and almost succeeded. Almost being the right word. Stark's hand loosened a bit, his eyes softening.

Suddenly, Loki was filled with panic. He jerked away, Stark's hand loosening enough for the chip to slip free. _I don't understand...why?_

"Why are you willing to help me?" he said harshly, scrubbing his hands over his face and speaking through them. Eyes closed, so he didn't have to look at the man. "Why...how can you forgive the things that I did?"

"It's because-"

"Don't say one word about family," he growled, the anger giving him enough strength to lock eyes with the inventor. "I don't think you understand, Stark. Yes, I was coerced into attacking this planet, but the plans were all mine. I made them, knowing that they were going to kill people, and I still followed them through. I almost destroyed two worlds! Yet you sit here and give me forgiveness when..." He trailed off, becoming aware that he was almost yelling, unable to finish his words. He was frustrated, angry, a bit scared but mostly confused. _Only Stark..._

"When no one else will?" Stark said quietly, and Loki's flinch was enough of an answer. "What's the number, Loki?"

Loki took a deep breath, trying to smooth down the edges of his frayed nerves. It was a knee jerk reaction to lie, to say that he didn't know what he meant, but something stopped it. He didn't know if it was the fact that it was only the two of them, or that Stark had already seen his weakness, but...

"11,389." His voice was a rasp, the words sounding as though they had been dragged from him. He waited for the condemnation, the horror, the disbelief that he could kill that many people...but it never came.

"Mine's in the millions, so I think you got off easy," Stark said with a bittersweet smile, and Loki looked sharply at him. Then he remembered that Stark had been 'Merchant of Death' at one point, and couldn't help but smile tiredly.

"Aren't we a pair?" he asked, meeting the blue eyes that were smiling at him.

_"ARAWN!"_

He jerked as Morrigan's voice ripped through his head, and a moment later an explosion came from the floor below them. Stark didn't even get a chance to say anything before he grabbed the man's arm and teleported downstairs, arriving the moment Banner finished changing into the Hulk. He took the scene in with one sweep of his eyes.

Morrigan was hovering over Arawn, who was against the wall, eyes wide and pupils dilated, mouth open as he panted with fear. Hulk lumbered over to him and crouched down in front of the man, giving the two of them a glare over his shoulder.

"Hey, buddy, what happened..." Stark began, walking out from behind him as Loki tried contacting his son with his mind.

He instantly recoiled as images and feelings slammed into him - _dank cell, pain, blood, smell of rotting meat _- shutting it out as his own memories tried to trigger.

"Arawn...my son, listen to me," he said quietly as he began to walk over, giving the green man a glare when he grunted in warning. He kept his movements slow until he was kneeling next to his son, ignoring the way the broken glass cut into his knees. "Arawn, listen to my voice. You're safe, son. We're safe. Me, Morrigan, and you." He reached out when Arawn finally glanced at him, wrapping his son in a tight embrace. Arawn shook against him as he hummed a lullaby that he used to sing, rocking them both to and fro as he waited for the shaking to calm down.

When it finally did, Arawn looked up at him with a tear streaked face, and tried to smile. "Hi dad."

His smile was just a crooked. "Hello my son. What caused it?"

Arawn flinched and buried his head in Loki's chest. "The...sound. We were watching a documentary."

Loki frowned, looking around. Against the far wall was a projector screen, and it did have an obvious burn hole right through it. Stark was talking to a once again Bruce, and as soon as Loki's attention hit him, he looked over, and flinched. Stark said something sharply, hitting him on the arm, and Bruce gave the inventor a fierce frown. He did end up shuffling over to them though, crouching down so he could look at Arawn in the face.

"I am so sorry Arawn," Bruce said softly, reaching out and running a finger over a stray curl. "I didn't think."

Arawn sniffed, and gave the scientist a game smile that was still wobbly around the edges. "It's ok. I didn't either, and I lived through it. I should have known."

Stark chuckled dryly at that. "You never know what will cause a flashback, kid. It's usually stupid things."

Arawn scrubbed a hand over his face. "Yea. I'm gonna...go out for a bit. Yea. Morri?"

"Arawn," Loki started, but bit his tongue against the rest of it when Stark brushed his shoulder. So he didn't try to stop either child as they walked a bit shakily out the door. He couldn't resist completely though. _"Be careful."_

Arawn said nothing, but just nodded and vanished as he exited the doorway.

Loki let out a deep sigh, then shook his head. They were capable of taking care of themselves, he knew that. He tuned to Stark with a small smile, then looked at Banner. "I was told you have a doctorate in biochemistry?"

Banner looked surprised, then sheepish, but nodded. "I do."

"There are a few things I'd like to pick your brain for, if you don't mind." Loki had to calm the sudden racing of his heartbeat. He had to remind himself that yes, he was Jotun, but he was not like the others of his race. Frigga had raised him better than that. _Arawn_ had taught him better than that.

"Really? Uh, sure. What do you want to know?" Banner looked less then pleased, but willing.

Loki took a deep breath, rolled up his sleeve, and held out his arm. "I am...not Aesir. I am Jotun, the race of frost giants. I am curious if there is a difference on the chemical, and DNA level. I was told you have a sample of Thor's blood, correct?" He tried saying it normally, but it still came out a bit rushed. He watched Stark and Banner exchange a look, but Banner shrugged.

"I can run some tests, but it will take at least an hour, if not more," he said as he pulled on gloves and got out a needle.

"That's fine," Stark said before Loki could open his mouth. "I want to pick his brain about magic anyway."

"Sorcery," Loki said absently, eyeing Stark. He felt the faint prick from the needle, and hummed to himself when the blood came out red. For some reason he was expecting it to be blue, purple, hell even orange, but not red. Not so...normal. Banner went to put a bandage on it, but Loki waved him away. He had healed fast enough that no extra drop of blood came out with the needle. The doctor walked away with the three vials, absently saying he'd have some results in a few hours. Loki looked to Stark, and tilted his head.

"Shall we go back to the lab?" He touched his phone through his pants, as a reminder that his children had several ways to contact him should something happen.

Stark just grinned, eyes flashing with the hunger for knowledge. "Let's go babycakes."


End file.
